Monday, December 27, 2010
Sara Groves - "Breath of Heaven"
What’s the address: “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.” - Please see today's Manna at http://dysmasconduit.weebly.com/
Monday, November 8, 2010
Manna for 11/8/10
DYSMAS CONDUIT
FREE FOOD
(Isa 55:1)
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2010
Question for the day:
Why is the devil able to hold so many Christians down?
What can we pray with YOU about today?
Good morning,
This is just a reminder that every day, while we are studying God’s Word to add to our website, someone from our ministry, Dysmas Conduit, is holding you up before the Lord in prayer. May He greatly bless you today as you pursue His will and He is glorified through you.
God’s blessings, our love,
George & Sidney Granger
CURRENT PRAYER REQUESTS:
Please pray for Aaron Ullom, USN Enlisted Medical Assistance Provider both in-land and at sea. Battlefield medics for the Marines, nickname "Doc".
Please pray for Mike and Sandy Brommer as they spread the Lord’s Seed and witness to His glory while on the road today. Please pray also that the Lord will lead them to Kingdom-profitable loads to carry, and that He grants them safe passage today.
Christine Henderson has requested prayers for Melody. She has terminal cancer and is having much difficulty. Please pray that the Lord sends the right personnel to assist with pain management, and that the end comes with a minimum of discomfort.
Please pray for St. Louis, Mich. Keryx #1 which will be taking place November 4-7. The devil doesn’t want us in his territory and he will do all he can to disrupt it. Every man involved, whether inside or out, needs God’s protection, discernment and strength.
Please pray for Angela Wojda, who is hospitalized with gall bladder problems. Angela, her family, and doctors are trying to determine whether her having surgery is a good option for her because of a history of heart problems she has. Lord, be with Angela. Comfort her and put your healing hand upon her. Give supernatural wisdom and discernment to the medical staff in understanding was is best for her. May she and everyone in her room experience your presence and peace. Amen
Pastor John
Anonymous - my children Jessica, Ashley, Sara, Hannah, Izabelle and
Christopher
Jennifer Richardson - my son Nick, he has a large swelling in the left side
of his neck that needs to be looked at by a doctor. He has no insurance.
Please pray for wisdom and trust in God for how to proceed.
Schaibles - Have a blessed and great week!
Zill family - strength in family
Brenda Keenan - need to make a decision and she wants to do God's will
Bornheimer - healing health for Gina, continued prayer to guide us in our
business
DeSimpelaere Family - Jayden Lamb - cancer, Rylie Miller - cancer, Ethan
Long
Karen Bauer - Richard Cohee who will be having hip replacement surgery on
Thursday
Anonymous - Carol, Mike Melissa, Pat, Jan, Jayden - fighting caner, Mary Lou
and breast cancer survivors, In sympathy - Jennie, Marge, For healing - John
Ray, Mary (up coming surgeries)
Ruth Swarthout - friend who has lump in breast, prayer for me at the loss of
my husband, friend battling breast cancer for the 4th time plus she has MS
Nancy DeBarr - the Spirit of the Lord to use us in His way
Cole Family - friend Vivian whose son's body was found
Gay Family - Linda Alexander - that her chemo continues to work
Rayman Hays - my family
Carol Greyerbiehl - continues prayer for our troops and their families
Ben Wright - continued prayers for my children, my books with the agent
Morse Family - Terri Puckett
Strong Family - our son Dave, recovering from pneumonia
Joe Booth - that God will continue to use me in His way
Irmy Waldie - Shannon
Breedlove Family - my brother’s surgery on November 5
Today's Bible Reading
2 Timothy 4; Jeremiah 11-12; Psalms 124
TO LISTEN
http://www.audiotreasure.com/webindex.htm
A WORD FOR TODAY
The Cost of Disobedience
In 1 Kings 13, we read about a lion that killed a prophet for his disobedience. That story illustrates for us the importance of obedience, and how disobedience opens the door to calamity in our lives.
1 Peter 5:8 tells us, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”
I believe God wants you to get a snapshot of that lion in 1 Kings 13 imprinted in your mind. He wants you to understand that if you willfully disobey God, your adversary, the devil, is not going to just be roaring at you. Like that lion, he is going to be putting a paw on you.
Frankly, I don't know about you, but I don't want his paw on my finances, on my family, on my health, or on anything else. I don't want him sinking his teeth into my marriage. But disobedience opens the door to that.
James 4:7 says, “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”
You see, you have been given authority in your life over the devil. This verse makes it clear—you can resist him. But your authority in Christ as a believer only operates as you have submitted yourself to God's authority through obedience.
If you are disobedient in areas of your life, knowingly disobedient, your authority in Christ will not work.
So here is the question: Today are you being willfully disobedient to God in any area of your life? If so, confess and repent. Otherwise you can be sure the devil will get a paw on your life.
YOU TUBE SONG FOR TODAY
Deep In Love With You
Michael W. Smith
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fC3IRQ8iyw
…and…
Back to the Bible
with Woodrow Kroll and Tami Weissert
Jericho & Blind Bartimaeus
Monday, November 08, 2010
With today's Back to the Bible,
Woodrow Kroll takes you to Jericho,
for a story about a blind man who saw far more
than those around him.
Series: From the Holy Land (Week 2 of 2)
PLEASE SEE:
http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/back-to-the-bible/listen/
Please send your prayer requests to
dysmasconduit.@yahoo.com
FREE FOOD
(Isa 55:1)
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2010
Question for the day:
Why is the devil able to hold so many Christians down?
What can we pray with YOU about today?
Good morning,
This is just a reminder that every day, while we are studying God’s Word to add to our website, someone from our ministry, Dysmas Conduit, is holding you up before the Lord in prayer. May He greatly bless you today as you pursue His will and He is glorified through you.
God’s blessings, our love,
George & Sidney Granger
CURRENT PRAYER REQUESTS:
Please pray for Aaron Ullom, USN Enlisted Medical Assistance Provider both in-land and at sea. Battlefield medics for the Marines, nickname "Doc".
Please pray for Mike and Sandy Brommer as they spread the Lord’s Seed and witness to His glory while on the road today. Please pray also that the Lord will lead them to Kingdom-profitable loads to carry, and that He grants them safe passage today.
Christine Henderson has requested prayers for Melody. She has terminal cancer and is having much difficulty. Please pray that the Lord sends the right personnel to assist with pain management, and that the end comes with a minimum of discomfort.
Please pray for St. Louis, Mich. Keryx #1 which will be taking place November 4-7. The devil doesn’t want us in his territory and he will do all he can to disrupt it. Every man involved, whether inside or out, needs God’s protection, discernment and strength.
Please pray for Angela Wojda, who is hospitalized with gall bladder problems. Angela, her family, and doctors are trying to determine whether her having surgery is a good option for her because of a history of heart problems she has. Lord, be with Angela. Comfort her and put your healing hand upon her. Give supernatural wisdom and discernment to the medical staff in understanding was is best for her. May she and everyone in her room experience your presence and peace. Amen
Pastor John
Anonymous - my children Jessica, Ashley, Sara, Hannah, Izabelle and
Christopher
Jennifer Richardson - my son Nick, he has a large swelling in the left side
of his neck that needs to be looked at by a doctor. He has no insurance.
Please pray for wisdom and trust in God for how to proceed.
Schaibles - Have a blessed and great week!
Zill family - strength in family
Brenda Keenan - need to make a decision and she wants to do God's will
Bornheimer - healing health for Gina, continued prayer to guide us in our
business
DeSimpelaere Family - Jayden Lamb - cancer, Rylie Miller - cancer, Ethan
Long
Karen Bauer - Richard Cohee who will be having hip replacement surgery on
Thursday
Anonymous - Carol, Mike Melissa, Pat, Jan, Jayden - fighting caner, Mary Lou
and breast cancer survivors, In sympathy - Jennie, Marge, For healing - John
Ray, Mary (up coming surgeries)
Ruth Swarthout - friend who has lump in breast, prayer for me at the loss of
my husband, friend battling breast cancer for the 4th time plus she has MS
Nancy DeBarr - the Spirit of the Lord to use us in His way
Cole Family - friend Vivian whose son's body was found
Gay Family - Linda Alexander - that her chemo continues to work
Rayman Hays - my family
Carol Greyerbiehl - continues prayer for our troops and their families
Ben Wright - continued prayers for my children, my books with the agent
Morse Family - Terri Puckett
Strong Family - our son Dave, recovering from pneumonia
Joe Booth - that God will continue to use me in His way
Irmy Waldie - Shannon
Breedlove Family - my brother’s surgery on November 5
Today's Bible Reading
2 Timothy 4; Jeremiah 11-12; Psalms 124
TO LISTEN
http://www.audiotreasure.com/webindex.htm
A WORD FOR TODAY
The Cost of Disobedience
In 1 Kings 13, we read about a lion that killed a prophet for his disobedience. That story illustrates for us the importance of obedience, and how disobedience opens the door to calamity in our lives.
1 Peter 5:8 tells us, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”
I believe God wants you to get a snapshot of that lion in 1 Kings 13 imprinted in your mind. He wants you to understand that if you willfully disobey God, your adversary, the devil, is not going to just be roaring at you. Like that lion, he is going to be putting a paw on you.
Frankly, I don't know about you, but I don't want his paw on my finances, on my family, on my health, or on anything else. I don't want him sinking his teeth into my marriage. But disobedience opens the door to that.
James 4:7 says, “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”
You see, you have been given authority in your life over the devil. This verse makes it clear—you can resist him. But your authority in Christ as a believer only operates as you have submitted yourself to God's authority through obedience.
If you are disobedient in areas of your life, knowingly disobedient, your authority in Christ will not work.
So here is the question: Today are you being willfully disobedient to God in any area of your life? If so, confess and repent. Otherwise you can be sure the devil will get a paw on your life.
YOU TUBE SONG FOR TODAY
Deep In Love With You
Michael W. Smith
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fC3IRQ8iyw
…and…
Back to the Bible
with Woodrow Kroll and Tami Weissert
Jericho & Blind Bartimaeus
Monday, November 08, 2010
With today's Back to the Bible,
Woodrow Kroll takes you to Jericho,
for a story about a blind man who saw far more
than those around him.
Series: From the Holy Land (Week 2 of 2)
PLEASE SEE:
http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/back-to-the-bible/listen/
Please send your prayer requests to
dysmasconduit.@yahoo.com
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
5/18 Manna
http://www.weebly.com/weebly/userHome.php
DYSMAS CONDUIT
FREE FOOD
(Isa 55:1)
TUESDAY, MAY 18, 2010
Question for the day:
When was the last time God told you “No”?
What can we pray with YOU about today?
Good morning,
This is just a reminder that every day, while we are studying God’s Word to add to our website, someone from our ministry, Dysmas Conduit, is holding you up before the Lord in prayer. May He greatly bless you today as you pursue His will and He is glorified through you.
God’s blessings, our love,
George & Sidney Granger
CURRENT PRAYER REQUESTS:
Please continue to pray for the residents from Keryx #2 at TRRP in Tuscola, MI and Straits Correctional Facility as they continue to digest the message that God brought them over this past weekend.
Also, please pray for the preparation of hearts for those whom God has chosen to attend Keryx #17 at Pugsley Correctional Facility this coming weekend. May the Lord’s ministers bring Jesus’ Message with clarity, power, boldness and effectiveness. May each who has been chosen to receive that Word do so with joy, May the Word endure forever in their hearts.
*For more information about Keryx, please visit http://keryx.org/ .
Please pray for Mike Brommer as he spreads the Lord’s Seed and witnesses to His glory while on the road today. Please pray also that the Lord will lead him to Kingdom-profitable loads to carry, and that He grants Mike safe passage today.
Mike Brommer is asking for the Lord’s guidance regarding their finances.
Michael – prayers for his long road to recovery and for treatment of the addictions that he is suffering from
Randi March – for Alan, that the Holy Spirit will counsel him with some major life decisions
Anonymous – my Grandpa Edward
Sirrine Family – Tom Petts – having a lung biopsy, Tracy Sirrine – hip injury
Joe Booth – that the disks in my back will heal and there will be no more back pain
Bonnie Brock – prayers for the Johnson family, they lost their 19 year old son
Fort Family – son and daughter-in-law as they seek employment, that they would hear God’s voice as He directs their search
Anonymous – pray that God would lead my life rather than my sins
Hull Family – Laurie will have CT scan results on Tuesday for lung condition
Strong Family – our son Tj and his wife Megan as they need the Lord for healing and peace in their marriage, Megan and physical healing
Bonnie Bell – Mike Gieryk – facing open heart surgery
Anonymous – losing weight
Breedlove Family – kids to make wise choices as the school year ends
Brewster Family – my mom as she went through her stem cell, Karen and Rob as they deal with Karen’s cancer
Gay Family – Linda Alexander
Zawisze Family – Melissa’s dad, Jim – cancer is entering his bones and causing fractures
Anonymous – my son and his internship in NC
Kramer Family – Good funds from our garage sale so that we can raise money for Relay for Life
Carol Haut – My brother Dan, throat cancer
Bornheimer Family – that each of us could hear God’s voice as he leads us
Holt Family – my brothers Tim and Tom, that they would return to following God
Jenni Czachowrski – Thank God for helping me with my anxiety! The safe return of Chris Earls from Iraq after his one year tour. That I may be a Godly example for my friends that are new to God.
Susan Parsons – Mike and Susan Booth
Carol Greyerbiehl – for all of our troops and their families, especially those deployed. For my beautiful grandson, Trayce and his parents, that they raise him with the Lord each day.
Anonymous – my son’s depression
Patti Loree – My family with their transition of our kids to their other parent, my ability to juggle going to school with teaching in the next few weeks
Gorney Family – Our family growth in the Lord. My healing of all hurts hidden within, that we may be blessed with love and forgiveness
My Brother-in-law, Mike Thelen is in a hospital it Anchorage Alaska. An infection in his bowel burst while he was bear hunting in Alaska. He’s lucky he’s not dead. He is in ICU and on a vent. He is septic but on antibiotics. If he doesn’t die he may not be able to come home for weeks. His wife, mother and two of his brothers just flew out there to be with him. He is mostly unconscious and not responsive. They did surgery on the bowel and removed part of it. He will be on a colostomy bag. He is 44 and married to Lynn ’s sister. He has three children; Taylor 16, Sydney 14 and Noah 10.
Could you pray for Mike and his wife Sheryl and there family. This all just happened this past weekend! Thank-you! --Rolland Bellefeuille
ENCOURAGEMENT FOR TODAY
May 18, 2010
Controlling a Complaining Spirit
Glynnis Whitwer
"Now the people complained about their hardships
in the hearing of the LORD,
and when he heard them his anger was aroused.
Then fire from the LORD burned among them and
consumed some of the outskirts of the camp."
Numbers 11:11 (NIV)
Devotion:
As we were getting ready to leave for vacation, one of my children asked for a new video game to play on the drive. Knowing all of our available funds were ear-marked for the trip, I told my child "no" and explained in a compassionate and clear reason why I would not be spending money on a video game prior to a vacation. I explained how much fun we would have and how much this fun would cost. Which, as I was sure he understood, did not leave money for buying video games.
At what I thought was a perfectly logical explanation, that same child, who should have been agreeing with me and trying to find ways to help make this wonderful vacation happen, actually got annoyed. With me. He said, with a very frustrated voice, that he never got anything he wanted. Accompanied with a heavy dramatic sigh, crossed arms and pout.
The tone of his voice, his negative words, and his dramatic body language, raised my eyebrows (I would have only raised one if I could). My back straightened and one hand rose to my hip. "Really?" I said in a low and deceptively calm voice. "You never get anything you want? On the day before we are leaving for an amazing trip that your father and I have worked hard to give you, you can actually say that you have nothing you want?"
Can I just tell you that an ungrateful spirit really is really hard for me to deal with? Especially when I know what is in store.
Sometimes I wonder if that must be how God feels when I grumble about what I don't get. Like when I went through infertility for three years before getting pregnant … three times … then adopting. In hindsight, God was really giving me three more years of wearing a size ten and a brain that could finish a complete thought. At that time, all I saw was emptiness.
The truth is, my child was just demonstrating a human reaction to being told "no" or "not now" by someone who knows what the future holds. Sometimes God withholds a "yes" knowing we need to be prepared to receive His goodness in His time. Other times, when we've been told "no" due to our own bad choices or those of others, God withholds a "yes" to teach us something. Or it's a permanent "no" to protect us. Whichever way, God is always working things together for the good of those who love Him.
I don't think my son ever fully understood why I said "no" to the video game. But over time, as he grew and matured, he learned to trust me more, and believe that I really loved him in spite of saying "no." Even as adults, we have trouble understanding God's ways. Sometimes we may never understand. When that happens, I choose to do a few things that help me mature as a believer. Maybe they will help you too:
• I choose to not complain to others about God.
• I am honest with God about how I feel, but I don't accuse Him of evil or being out to hurt me.
• I choose to trust Him. When the doubts start to surface, I choose again to trust Him again.
• I sing His praises. It reminds me of God's true character, which is always good.
Hearing "no" is never easy. However, as children of a loving Heavenly Father, we can learn over time to trust that He really does have something planned that we are going to love more than what we want right now. When we trust God is working behind the scenes for us, we can control a complaining spirit that threatens to steal our joy. And restore our faith in God's goodness.
Dear Lord, I know I'm often like a child when I get told "no." Help me to understand -- in my head and in my heart -- that You truly love me, and that You are planning something good. Forgive me when I doubt you and voice those doubts in a complaining way, in Jesus' Name, amen.
Application Steps:
Read Numbers 11. Write God's response to the complaining of the Israelites.
Reflections:
What does complaining to others reveal about your character at that moment?
What are some things you can do to stop the complaining cycle and start being more positive?
Power Verses:
Psalm 142:2, "I pour out my complaint before him; before him I tell my trouble." (NIV)
Philippians 2:14-15, "Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe." (NIV)
YOU TUBE SONG FOR TODAY
Love the Lord
Lincoln Brewster
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CV7qTD_X0Rk
…and…
Back to the Bible
Woodrow Kroll and Tami Weissert
How to Connect with God
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
PLAY NOW
Many people may believe in God
but they don't know if they can connect with Him intimately.
Dr Kroll contrasts the view of God
in other religions with what the Bible teaches.
God is not silent;
He has spoken through His Word,
and He is eager for us to come to Him through Jesus Christ.
We’ll see examples of God speaking to His people,
why we have a Bible, and how we enter a relationship with God.
This message references: John 1:14
http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/Back_to_the_Bible/
Please send your prayer requests to
dysmasconduit.@gmail.com
DYSMAS CONDUIT
FREE FOOD
(Isa 55:1)
TUESDAY, MAY 18, 2010
Question for the day:
When was the last time God told you “No”?
What can we pray with YOU about today?
Good morning,
This is just a reminder that every day, while we are studying God’s Word to add to our website, someone from our ministry, Dysmas Conduit, is holding you up before the Lord in prayer. May He greatly bless you today as you pursue His will and He is glorified through you.
God’s blessings, our love,
George & Sidney Granger
CURRENT PRAYER REQUESTS:
Please continue to pray for the residents from Keryx #2 at TRRP in Tuscola, MI and Straits Correctional Facility as they continue to digest the message that God brought them over this past weekend.
Also, please pray for the preparation of hearts for those whom God has chosen to attend Keryx #17 at Pugsley Correctional Facility this coming weekend. May the Lord’s ministers bring Jesus’ Message with clarity, power, boldness and effectiveness. May each who has been chosen to receive that Word do so with joy, May the Word endure forever in their hearts.
*For more information about Keryx, please visit http://keryx.org/ .
Please pray for Mike Brommer as he spreads the Lord’s Seed and witnesses to His glory while on the road today. Please pray also that the Lord will lead him to Kingdom-profitable loads to carry, and that He grants Mike safe passage today.
Mike Brommer is asking for the Lord’s guidance regarding their finances.
Michael – prayers for his long road to recovery and for treatment of the addictions that he is suffering from
Randi March – for Alan, that the Holy Spirit will counsel him with some major life decisions
Anonymous – my Grandpa Edward
Sirrine Family – Tom Petts – having a lung biopsy, Tracy Sirrine – hip injury
Joe Booth – that the disks in my back will heal and there will be no more back pain
Bonnie Brock – prayers for the Johnson family, they lost their 19 year old son
Fort Family – son and daughter-in-law as they seek employment, that they would hear God’s voice as He directs their search
Anonymous – pray that God would lead my life rather than my sins
Hull Family – Laurie will have CT scan results on Tuesday for lung condition
Strong Family – our son Tj and his wife Megan as they need the Lord for healing and peace in their marriage, Megan and physical healing
Bonnie Bell – Mike Gieryk – facing open heart surgery
Anonymous – losing weight
Breedlove Family – kids to make wise choices as the school year ends
Brewster Family – my mom as she went through her stem cell, Karen and Rob as they deal with Karen’s cancer
Gay Family – Linda Alexander
Zawisze Family – Melissa’s dad, Jim – cancer is entering his bones and causing fractures
Anonymous – my son and his internship in NC
Kramer Family – Good funds from our garage sale so that we can raise money for Relay for Life
Carol Haut – My brother Dan, throat cancer
Bornheimer Family – that each of us could hear God’s voice as he leads us
Holt Family – my brothers Tim and Tom, that they would return to following God
Jenni Czachowrski – Thank God for helping me with my anxiety! The safe return of Chris Earls from Iraq after his one year tour. That I may be a Godly example for my friends that are new to God.
Susan Parsons – Mike and Susan Booth
Carol Greyerbiehl – for all of our troops and their families, especially those deployed. For my beautiful grandson, Trayce and his parents, that they raise him with the Lord each day.
Anonymous – my son’s depression
Patti Loree – My family with their transition of our kids to their other parent, my ability to juggle going to school with teaching in the next few weeks
Gorney Family – Our family growth in the Lord. My healing of all hurts hidden within, that we may be blessed with love and forgiveness
My Brother-in-law, Mike Thelen is in a hospital it Anchorage Alaska. An infection in his bowel burst while he was bear hunting in Alaska. He’s lucky he’s not dead. He is in ICU and on a vent. He is septic but on antibiotics. If he doesn’t die he may not be able to come home for weeks. His wife, mother and two of his brothers just flew out there to be with him. He is mostly unconscious and not responsive. They did surgery on the bowel and removed part of it. He will be on a colostomy bag. He is 44 and married to Lynn ’s sister. He has three children; Taylor 16, Sydney 14 and Noah 10.
Could you pray for Mike and his wife Sheryl and there family. This all just happened this past weekend! Thank-you! --Rolland Bellefeuille
ENCOURAGEMENT FOR TODAY
May 18, 2010
Controlling a Complaining Spirit
Glynnis Whitwer
"Now the people complained about their hardships
in the hearing of the LORD,
and when he heard them his anger was aroused.
Then fire from the LORD burned among them and
consumed some of the outskirts of the camp."
Numbers 11:11 (NIV)
Devotion:
As we were getting ready to leave for vacation, one of my children asked for a new video game to play on the drive. Knowing all of our available funds were ear-marked for the trip, I told my child "no" and explained in a compassionate and clear reason why I would not be spending money on a video game prior to a vacation. I explained how much fun we would have and how much this fun would cost. Which, as I was sure he understood, did not leave money for buying video games.
At what I thought was a perfectly logical explanation, that same child, who should have been agreeing with me and trying to find ways to help make this wonderful vacation happen, actually got annoyed. With me. He said, with a very frustrated voice, that he never got anything he wanted. Accompanied with a heavy dramatic sigh, crossed arms and pout.
The tone of his voice, his negative words, and his dramatic body language, raised my eyebrows (I would have only raised one if I could). My back straightened and one hand rose to my hip. "Really?" I said in a low and deceptively calm voice. "You never get anything you want? On the day before we are leaving for an amazing trip that your father and I have worked hard to give you, you can actually say that you have nothing you want?"
Can I just tell you that an ungrateful spirit really is really hard for me to deal with? Especially when I know what is in store.
Sometimes I wonder if that must be how God feels when I grumble about what I don't get. Like when I went through infertility for three years before getting pregnant … three times … then adopting. In hindsight, God was really giving me three more years of wearing a size ten and a brain that could finish a complete thought. At that time, all I saw was emptiness.
The truth is, my child was just demonstrating a human reaction to being told "no" or "not now" by someone who knows what the future holds. Sometimes God withholds a "yes" knowing we need to be prepared to receive His goodness in His time. Other times, when we've been told "no" due to our own bad choices or those of others, God withholds a "yes" to teach us something. Or it's a permanent "no" to protect us. Whichever way, God is always working things together for the good of those who love Him.
I don't think my son ever fully understood why I said "no" to the video game. But over time, as he grew and matured, he learned to trust me more, and believe that I really loved him in spite of saying "no." Even as adults, we have trouble understanding God's ways. Sometimes we may never understand. When that happens, I choose to do a few things that help me mature as a believer. Maybe they will help you too:
• I choose to not complain to others about God.
• I am honest with God about how I feel, but I don't accuse Him of evil or being out to hurt me.
• I choose to trust Him. When the doubts start to surface, I choose again to trust Him again.
• I sing His praises. It reminds me of God's true character, which is always good.
Hearing "no" is never easy. However, as children of a loving Heavenly Father, we can learn over time to trust that He really does have something planned that we are going to love more than what we want right now. When we trust God is working behind the scenes for us, we can control a complaining spirit that threatens to steal our joy. And restore our faith in God's goodness.
Dear Lord, I know I'm often like a child when I get told "no." Help me to understand -- in my head and in my heart -- that You truly love me, and that You are planning something good. Forgive me when I doubt you and voice those doubts in a complaining way, in Jesus' Name, amen.
Application Steps:
Read Numbers 11. Write God's response to the complaining of the Israelites.
Reflections:
What does complaining to others reveal about your character at that moment?
What are some things you can do to stop the complaining cycle and start being more positive?
Power Verses:
Psalm 142:2, "I pour out my complaint before him; before him I tell my trouble." (NIV)
Philippians 2:14-15, "Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe." (NIV)
YOU TUBE SONG FOR TODAY
Love the Lord
Lincoln Brewster
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CV7qTD_X0Rk
…and…
Back to the Bible
Woodrow Kroll and Tami Weissert
How to Connect with God
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
PLAY NOW
Many people may believe in God
but they don't know if they can connect with Him intimately.
Dr Kroll contrasts the view of God
in other religions with what the Bible teaches.
God is not silent;
He has spoken through His Word,
and He is eager for us to come to Him through Jesus Christ.
We’ll see examples of God speaking to His people,
why we have a Bible, and how we enter a relationship with God.
This message references: John 1:14
http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/Back_to_the_Bible/
Please send your prayer requests to
dysmasconduit.@gmail.com
Monday, May 17, 2010
5/17 Manna
DYSMAS CONDUIT
FREE FOOD
(Isa 55:1)
MONDAY, MAY 7, 2010
Question for the day:
Who wrote:
“Catch for us the foxes,
the little foxes
that ruin the vineyards,
our vineyards that are in bloom.”
What can we pray with YOU about today?
Good morning,
This is just a reminder that every day, while we are studying God’s Word to add to our website, someone from our ministry, Dysmas Conduit, is holding you up before the Lord in prayer. May He greatly bless you today as you pursue His will and He is glorified through you.
God’s blessings, our love,
George & Sidney Granger
CURRENT PRAYER REQUESTS:
Please continue to pray for the residents from Keryx #2 at TRRP in Tuscola, MI and Straits Correctional Facility as they continue to digest the message that God brought them over this past weekend.
Also, please pray for the preparation of hearts for those whom God has chosen to attend Keryx #17 at Pugsley Correctional Facility this coming weekend. May the Lord’s ministers bring Jesus’ Message with clarity, power, boldness and effectiveness. May each who has been chosen to receive that Word do so with joy, May the Word endure forever in their hearts.
I got a letter from one of my sisters, asking for prayer for a friend of theirs.
She didn't give me a name, but said that this man is obviously under attack and persecution, and she doesn't say lightly that she believes the devil is attacking him.
Indeed, she doesn't say this lightly. I have never heard her use this phrase before.
God knows who this person is that needs prayer.............please help with your prayers for him, and also pray that the persecuted AND persecutor will see God working in this situation, in a way that they cannot deny IS God working.
Thank you and God Bless, --Sandy Brommer
Please pray for Mike and Sandy Brommer as they spread the Lord’s Seed and witness to His glory while on the road today. Please pray also that the Lord will lead them to Kingdom-profitable loads to carry, and that He grants them safe passage today.
Mike Brommer is asking for the Lord’s guidance regarding their finances.
Please pray for Carey Scortichini as he is in surgery in Winston/Salem for acute appenticitis. Father God, please wrap your loving arms around both Carey and Belinda and help them to feel your presence right at this very moment. I ask that you give the medical staff wisdom and discernment in their treatment of Carey and also, that you fill Belinda with a peace that only you can give her. I also ask that Carey have minimal pain and his healing will be quick. Thank you, Father, for your love and grace. We give all honor and glory to you. Amen. --Lynn Boone
Christine Babel Henderson - Today when I called my Mother to find out what the Dr. told her about her test. She told me they needed to take more tests. She was told everything so far is pointing towards "colon cancer". Please take a moment from your busy day and remember my Mother in prayer. I lost my Father to liver cancer in 1991, I am NOT ready to let her go!!
Lauren Gibbons
First update on Bud. His surgery went very well. He expected to be in the hospital for 2 weeks afterward but his recovery is going so well that they were talking about releasing him yesterday. The procedure he had done was very invasive and is relatively new. It should keep him cancer free for many years. That's the most recent update I have on him.
Little granddaughter Baylee's surgery went very well. They finished fixing her top palette; this was her second surgery on it. She only had to be in the hospital one full day because she was eating and drinking so quickly afterward. She's a trooper and has never let these surgeries keep her down long. This is about the 4th surgery she's had to have but hopefully this one was the last.
Please continue to pray for continued healing for both. And for Baylee that her trache can be removed soon so she can speak. Right now, she pretty much uses one word "signs" to speak. Thanks so much. God bless you, Lauren
ENCOURAGEMENT FOR TODAY
May 17, 2010
Catch the Little Foxes
Melanie Chitwood
"Be kind to one another, tender-hearted,
forgiving each other,
just as God in Christ also has forgiven you."
Ephesians 4:32 (NAS)
Devotion:
Holly has a hard time parking in the garage. It sits at a tricky angle, and she has run into the garage wall quite a few times. In fact, her van has plenty of scrapes and dents to prove it. Her husband Dan could choose many ways to respond—he could be angry every time, or he could berate her, but that's not his reaction. He has repeatedly chosen to forgive Holly. Their situation is an example of one of the "little foxes" mentioned in Song of Solomon 2:15: "Catch all the foxes, those little foxes, before they ruin the vineyard of love, for the grapevines are blossoming!" (NLT). Theirs is a situation that could have become divisive, but because of Dan's gracious response, this "little fox" did not ruin their "vineyard of love."
Do any "little foxes" come to mind when you think about your own marriage? Maybe your spouse was abrupt when speaking to you, didn't give you the attention you wanted, wasn't responsive to intimacy, forgot your anniversary, or got home late without calling recently. Everyday married life presents countless occasions to choose to be offended or to choose to forgive, as today's key verses instruct us.
Without forgiveness, we'll find ourselves becoming irritated, hard-hearted, bitter, and disconnected from our spouse. A friend taught me one way to make sure this doesn't happen: The moment I feel offended, I can choose to forgive. If my spouse says something that makes me mad or hurt, I need to begin praying at that very moment to forgive. Doing this allows God to begin softening our hearts immediately.
In addition to dealing with the little foxes of small offenses, we will sometimes need to forgive our spouses for big offenses. We might be betrayed by unfaithfulness, our trust might be rattled by secrets our spouses keep, or our feelings might be stomped on by spouses who do the same hurtful things over and over again. If one quality makes a Christian marriage stand out from the rest, it's our choice to forgive our spouse. We might feel as if we're ignoring the offense or giving our stamp of approval by choosing to forgive. Our pride and fear might rise up: What if the offense happens again and again? Will I be taken for a fool? What will others think?
Choosing to forgive is an act of obedience to God's commands. Forgiveness entails choosing, often over and over again, not to dwell on the offense because that would allow a root of bitterness to grow in our hearts. But let's be clear: If you're dealing with a sin issue in marriage, choose to forgive but still spend the needed time talking about the situation, praying separately and together, and seeking godly counsel.
Forgiveness is a one of the most essential attitudes for bringing unity and oneness to marriage, and it flows from our relationship with Christ.
Jesus, please cover our marriage with a spirit of forgiveness. I confess that sometimes I want to hold a grudge, to retaliate, or to be right, rather than forgive. Lord, I don't want the enemy to get a foothold in our marriage, so through the power of the Holy Spirit, I slam the door on Satan by choosing to forgive my spouse. In Your Name I pray, Amen.
Application Steps:
Dwell on Christ's forgiveness of your offenses.
Say, "I forgive you" today.
Say, "I'm sorry" today.
Choose not to dwell on your spouse's hurtful words or actions.
Don't hold a grudge or seek revenge.
Choose your friends wisely. Take care around others who bad-mouth their spouses.
The moment you feel offended, begin to pray that the Holy Spirit will work through you to forgive your spouse.
Reflections:
What "little foxes" come to mind concerning your marriage?
Have you chosen to be offended and hurt? Or gracious and forgiving?
Have you been avoiding talking to your spouse about a big offense? Can you choose to today to take the first step in talking about this situation, praying about it, and perhaps seeing a godly counselor?
Power Verses:
Colossians 3:12-13, "Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other's faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others." (NLT)
YOU TUBE SONG FOR TODAY
God You Reign
Lincoln Brewster
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGMfNe4ZRoU
…and…
Back to the Bible
Woodrow Kroll and Tami Weissert
The Quest of God
Monday, May 17, 2010
PLAY NOW
We may think we’re looking for God,
but really, God is looking for us.
Dr Kroll begins this study by looking at God’s quest for man’s heart.
God is searching for men and women whose hearts are thirsty for Him.
We’ll learn what a thirsty heart is,
and how we can use the Bible to connect with God’s heart.
This message references: Psalm 63:1
http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/Back_to_the_Bible/
Please send your prayer requests to
dysmasconduit.@gmail.com
FREE FOOD
(Isa 55:1)
MONDAY, MAY 7, 2010
Question for the day:
Who wrote:
“Catch for us the foxes,
the little foxes
that ruin the vineyards,
our vineyards that are in bloom.”
What can we pray with YOU about today?
Good morning,
This is just a reminder that every day, while we are studying God’s Word to add to our website, someone from our ministry, Dysmas Conduit, is holding you up before the Lord in prayer. May He greatly bless you today as you pursue His will and He is glorified through you.
God’s blessings, our love,
George & Sidney Granger
CURRENT PRAYER REQUESTS:
Please continue to pray for the residents from Keryx #2 at TRRP in Tuscola, MI and Straits Correctional Facility as they continue to digest the message that God brought them over this past weekend.
Also, please pray for the preparation of hearts for those whom God has chosen to attend Keryx #17 at Pugsley Correctional Facility this coming weekend. May the Lord’s ministers bring Jesus’ Message with clarity, power, boldness and effectiveness. May each who has been chosen to receive that Word do so with joy, May the Word endure forever in their hearts.
I got a letter from one of my sisters, asking for prayer for a friend of theirs.
She didn't give me a name, but said that this man is obviously under attack and persecution, and she doesn't say lightly that she believes the devil is attacking him.
Indeed, she doesn't say this lightly. I have never heard her use this phrase before.
God knows who this person is that needs prayer.............please help with your prayers for him, and also pray that the persecuted AND persecutor will see God working in this situation, in a way that they cannot deny IS God working.
Thank you and God Bless, --Sandy Brommer
Please pray for Mike and Sandy Brommer as they spread the Lord’s Seed and witness to His glory while on the road today. Please pray also that the Lord will lead them to Kingdom-profitable loads to carry, and that He grants them safe passage today.
Mike Brommer is asking for the Lord’s guidance regarding their finances.
Please pray for Carey Scortichini as he is in surgery in Winston/Salem for acute appenticitis. Father God, please wrap your loving arms around both Carey and Belinda and help them to feel your presence right at this very moment. I ask that you give the medical staff wisdom and discernment in their treatment of Carey and also, that you fill Belinda with a peace that only you can give her. I also ask that Carey have minimal pain and his healing will be quick. Thank you, Father, for your love and grace. We give all honor and glory to you. Amen. --Lynn Boone
Christine Babel Henderson - Today when I called my Mother to find out what the Dr. told her about her test. She told me they needed to take more tests. She was told everything so far is pointing towards "colon cancer". Please take a moment from your busy day and remember my Mother in prayer. I lost my Father to liver cancer in 1991, I am NOT ready to let her go!!
Lauren Gibbons
First update on Bud. His surgery went very well. He expected to be in the hospital for 2 weeks afterward but his recovery is going so well that they were talking about releasing him yesterday. The procedure he had done was very invasive and is relatively new. It should keep him cancer free for many years. That's the most recent update I have on him.
Little granddaughter Baylee's surgery went very well. They finished fixing her top palette; this was her second surgery on it. She only had to be in the hospital one full day because she was eating and drinking so quickly afterward. She's a trooper and has never let these surgeries keep her down long. This is about the 4th surgery she's had to have but hopefully this one was the last.
Please continue to pray for continued healing for both. And for Baylee that her trache can be removed soon so she can speak. Right now, she pretty much uses one word "signs" to speak. Thanks so much. God bless you, Lauren
ENCOURAGEMENT FOR TODAY
May 17, 2010
Catch the Little Foxes
Melanie Chitwood
"Be kind to one another, tender-hearted,
forgiving each other,
just as God in Christ also has forgiven you."
Ephesians 4:32 (NAS)
Devotion:
Holly has a hard time parking in the garage. It sits at a tricky angle, and she has run into the garage wall quite a few times. In fact, her van has plenty of scrapes and dents to prove it. Her husband Dan could choose many ways to respond—he could be angry every time, or he could berate her, but that's not his reaction. He has repeatedly chosen to forgive Holly. Their situation is an example of one of the "little foxes" mentioned in Song of Solomon 2:15: "Catch all the foxes, those little foxes, before they ruin the vineyard of love, for the grapevines are blossoming!" (NLT). Theirs is a situation that could have become divisive, but because of Dan's gracious response, this "little fox" did not ruin their "vineyard of love."
Do any "little foxes" come to mind when you think about your own marriage? Maybe your spouse was abrupt when speaking to you, didn't give you the attention you wanted, wasn't responsive to intimacy, forgot your anniversary, or got home late without calling recently. Everyday married life presents countless occasions to choose to be offended or to choose to forgive, as today's key verses instruct us.
Without forgiveness, we'll find ourselves becoming irritated, hard-hearted, bitter, and disconnected from our spouse. A friend taught me one way to make sure this doesn't happen: The moment I feel offended, I can choose to forgive. If my spouse says something that makes me mad or hurt, I need to begin praying at that very moment to forgive. Doing this allows God to begin softening our hearts immediately.
In addition to dealing with the little foxes of small offenses, we will sometimes need to forgive our spouses for big offenses. We might be betrayed by unfaithfulness, our trust might be rattled by secrets our spouses keep, or our feelings might be stomped on by spouses who do the same hurtful things over and over again. If one quality makes a Christian marriage stand out from the rest, it's our choice to forgive our spouse. We might feel as if we're ignoring the offense or giving our stamp of approval by choosing to forgive. Our pride and fear might rise up: What if the offense happens again and again? Will I be taken for a fool? What will others think?
Choosing to forgive is an act of obedience to God's commands. Forgiveness entails choosing, often over and over again, not to dwell on the offense because that would allow a root of bitterness to grow in our hearts. But let's be clear: If you're dealing with a sin issue in marriage, choose to forgive but still spend the needed time talking about the situation, praying separately and together, and seeking godly counsel.
Forgiveness is a one of the most essential attitudes for bringing unity and oneness to marriage, and it flows from our relationship with Christ.
Jesus, please cover our marriage with a spirit of forgiveness. I confess that sometimes I want to hold a grudge, to retaliate, or to be right, rather than forgive. Lord, I don't want the enemy to get a foothold in our marriage, so through the power of the Holy Spirit, I slam the door on Satan by choosing to forgive my spouse. In Your Name I pray, Amen.
Application Steps:
Dwell on Christ's forgiveness of your offenses.
Say, "I forgive you" today.
Say, "I'm sorry" today.
Choose not to dwell on your spouse's hurtful words or actions.
Don't hold a grudge or seek revenge.
Choose your friends wisely. Take care around others who bad-mouth their spouses.
The moment you feel offended, begin to pray that the Holy Spirit will work through you to forgive your spouse.
Reflections:
What "little foxes" come to mind concerning your marriage?
Have you chosen to be offended and hurt? Or gracious and forgiving?
Have you been avoiding talking to your spouse about a big offense? Can you choose to today to take the first step in talking about this situation, praying about it, and perhaps seeing a godly counselor?
Power Verses:
Colossians 3:12-13, "Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other's faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others." (NLT)
YOU TUBE SONG FOR TODAY
God You Reign
Lincoln Brewster
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGMfNe4ZRoU
…and…
Back to the Bible
Woodrow Kroll and Tami Weissert
The Quest of God
Monday, May 17, 2010
PLAY NOW
We may think we’re looking for God,
but really, God is looking for us.
Dr Kroll begins this study by looking at God’s quest for man’s heart.
God is searching for men and women whose hearts are thirsty for Him.
We’ll learn what a thirsty heart is,
and how we can use the Bible to connect with God’s heart.
This message references: Psalm 63:1
http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/Back_to_the_Bible/
Please send your prayer requests to
dysmasconduit.@gmail.com
Friday, May 14, 2010
5/15 Manna
DYSMAS CONDUIT
FREE FOOD
(Isa 55:1)
SATURDAY, MAY 15, 2010
Question for the day:
What can we pray with YOU about today?
Good morning,
This is just a reminder that every day, while we are studying God’s Word to add to our website, someone from our ministry, Dysmas Conduit, is holding you up before the Lord in prayer. May He greatly bless you today as you pursue His will and He is glorified through you.
God’s blessings, our love,
George & Sidney Granger
CURRENT PRAYER REQUESTS:
The Michigan Department of Corrections has granted permission for the Keryx Prison Ministry to bring Jesus’ message of love, grace, forgiveness and restoration to the Tuscola Re-entry program in Caro, MI in Keryx #2 between 5/13 and 5/16. Please pray for the forty men, who will experience this working of the Holy Spirit, and please pray for the men, several from Messiah, who will be bringing the message. For more information about Keryx, please visit http://keryx.org/ .
Please pray for Mike and Sandy Brommer as they spread the Lord’s Seed and witness to His glory while on the road today. Please pray also that the Lord will lead them to Kingdom-profitable loads to carry, and that He grants them safe passage today.
Mike Brommer is asking for the Lord’s guidance regarding their finances.
Christine Babel Henderson - Today when I called my Mother to find out what the Dr. told her about her test. She told me they needed to take more tests. She was told everything so far is pointing towards "colon cancer". Please take a moment from your busy day and remember my Mother in prayer. I lost my Father to liver cancer in 1991, I am NOT ready to let her go!!
Lauren Gibbons
First update on Bud. His surgery went very well. He expected to be in the hospital for 2 weeks afterward but his recovery is going so well that they were talking about releasing him yesterday. The procedure he had done was very invasive and is relatively new. It should keep him cancer free for many years. That's the most recent update I have on him.
Little granddaughter Baylee's surgery went very well. They finished fixing her top palette; this was her second surgery on it. She only had to be in the hospital one full day because she was eating and drinking so quickly afterward. She's a trooper and has never let these surgeries keep her down long. This is about the 4th surgery she's had to have but hopefully this one was the last.
Please continue to pray for continued healing for both. And for Baylee that her trache can be removed soon so she can speak. Right now, she pretty much uses one word "signs" to speak. Thanks so much. God bless you, Lauren
Hey everyone, I don’t normally ask for prayers for myself, but I would be so blessed by your prayers for next Tuesday, May 18.
On Tuesday @ 730am I will be having rotator cuff repair surgery done on my left shoulder. Pray all goes smoothly and rehabilitation Is solid and as painless as possible. Thanks! --Pastor Kurt
WEEKENDS
Devotional thought
from the messages of Adrian Rogers
A "Know-So"
or a "Hope-So" Salvation?
BIBLE MEDITATION:
Ephesians 2:8-9 - “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God; Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
If you think you’re going to get to heaven by your good works, I guarantee you will always wonder if you’ve done enough. You will not have a “know-so” salvation. You will have a “hope-so” salvation. Rather than standing up straight in confidence like an exclamation point, you will be bent over and wondering like a question mark. That is, until you understand that it’s all by grace. Suppose everybody who wanted to be saved had to run around the block. Some can’t run. What if you had to read a chapter in the Bible to be saved? Some can’t read. But there is one thing that can make the promise sure, and that is grace.
ACTION POINT:
Who can you share this Good News with today? Think of at least one person, and ask God to give you a bold love and a divine opportunity to do just that. We also invite you to read “You Can Be Sure” for more insights on the eternal security of the believer.
YOU TUBE SONG FOR TODAY
Pass It On
Kenny Wesley
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPRpLoH8VaA
…and…
Encouragement for Today
Only One Thing
Zoe Elmore
"You are worried and upset about many things,
but only one thing is needed.
Mary has chosen what is better,
and it will not be taken away from her."
Luke 10:41-42 (NIV)
Devotion:
I had a college professor who told our health class to be sure we had eight hours of sleep, eight hours of work, and eight hours of leisure. It was her opinion that this formula would bring about a balanced life.
I can see you rolling your eyes and thinking, "Really?"
While I don't agree with my professor's formula I do agree that our lives must have balance and in order to achieve that balance we must return to putting our relationship with the Lord first.
Remember the story where Jesus told Martha, the sister of Mary and Lazarus that she needed to rethink her priorities? Martha was upset with Mary because she dropped what she was doing to sit at the feet of Jesus. Martha, however, continued with her hostess responsibilities until she had enough.
"But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, ‘Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!'" (Luke 10:40, NIV).
But Jesus told Martha that it was Mary who had put her relationship with the Lord first in her life. "‘Martha, Martha,' the Lord answered, ‘You are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her'" (Luke 10:41-42,NIV).
Martha was one smart lady and she learned her lesson well. After this encounter, when Jesus arrived to call Lazarus from the grave, it was Mary who stayed in the house and Martha who went out to greet Him.
I love that it was Martha to whom Jesus said: "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" (John 11:25-26, NIV).
Her reply confirms just how much Martha's priorities had changed: "'Yes, Lord,' she told him, ‘I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world'" (John 11:27,NIV).
Setting priorities in today's fast-paced life can be challenging for sure.
We try to squeeze as much as we can into the twenty four hours in each day. Yet when we've had enough and can't take any more, that's when we find ourselves crying out to the Lord for help. If you're anything like me you will hear His sweet words whispering to your heart, "Only one thing is needed."
The simple truth is when we put God first in our lives; everything else will fall into place. Our responsibilities will continue and the demands of life will go on but God will be there to help us bring order out of chaos. "In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight" (Proverbs 3:6,NIV).
Dear Lord, I confess that my life is pulled in too many directions. When I am anxious about doing things I have trouble hearing Your Word. Help me to treasure the "one thing" that I need and trust You to put the rest in order, in Jesus' Name, amen.
Application Steps:
Prioritize all the commitments and responsibilities you have.
Ask God to reorganize your list and follow His leading.
Reflections:
What is your number one priority today?
Power Verses:
Matthew 6:24, "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money." (NIV)
Matthew 6:33, "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (NIV)
FREE FOOD
(Isa 55:1)
SATURDAY, MAY 15, 2010
Question for the day:
What can we pray with YOU about today?
Good morning,
This is just a reminder that every day, while we are studying God’s Word to add to our website, someone from our ministry, Dysmas Conduit, is holding you up before the Lord in prayer. May He greatly bless you today as you pursue His will and He is glorified through you.
God’s blessings, our love,
George & Sidney Granger
CURRENT PRAYER REQUESTS:
The Michigan Department of Corrections has granted permission for the Keryx Prison Ministry to bring Jesus’ message of love, grace, forgiveness and restoration to the Tuscola Re-entry program in Caro, MI in Keryx #2 between 5/13 and 5/16. Please pray for the forty men, who will experience this working of the Holy Spirit, and please pray for the men, several from Messiah, who will be bringing the message. For more information about Keryx, please visit http://keryx.org/ .
Please pray for Mike and Sandy Brommer as they spread the Lord’s Seed and witness to His glory while on the road today. Please pray also that the Lord will lead them to Kingdom-profitable loads to carry, and that He grants them safe passage today.
Mike Brommer is asking for the Lord’s guidance regarding their finances.
Christine Babel Henderson - Today when I called my Mother to find out what the Dr. told her about her test. She told me they needed to take more tests. She was told everything so far is pointing towards "colon cancer". Please take a moment from your busy day and remember my Mother in prayer. I lost my Father to liver cancer in 1991, I am NOT ready to let her go!!
Lauren Gibbons
First update on Bud. His surgery went very well. He expected to be in the hospital for 2 weeks afterward but his recovery is going so well that they were talking about releasing him yesterday. The procedure he had done was very invasive and is relatively new. It should keep him cancer free for many years. That's the most recent update I have on him.
Little granddaughter Baylee's surgery went very well. They finished fixing her top palette; this was her second surgery on it. She only had to be in the hospital one full day because she was eating and drinking so quickly afterward. She's a trooper and has never let these surgeries keep her down long. This is about the 4th surgery she's had to have but hopefully this one was the last.
Please continue to pray for continued healing for both. And for Baylee that her trache can be removed soon so she can speak. Right now, she pretty much uses one word "signs" to speak. Thanks so much. God bless you, Lauren
Hey everyone, I don’t normally ask for prayers for myself, but I would be so blessed by your prayers for next Tuesday, May 18.
On Tuesday @ 730am I will be having rotator cuff repair surgery done on my left shoulder. Pray all goes smoothly and rehabilitation Is solid and as painless as possible. Thanks! --Pastor Kurt
WEEKENDS
Devotional thought
from the messages of Adrian Rogers
A "Know-So"
or a "Hope-So" Salvation?
BIBLE MEDITATION:
Ephesians 2:8-9 - “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God; Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
If you think you’re going to get to heaven by your good works, I guarantee you will always wonder if you’ve done enough. You will not have a “know-so” salvation. You will have a “hope-so” salvation. Rather than standing up straight in confidence like an exclamation point, you will be bent over and wondering like a question mark. That is, until you understand that it’s all by grace. Suppose everybody who wanted to be saved had to run around the block. Some can’t run. What if you had to read a chapter in the Bible to be saved? Some can’t read. But there is one thing that can make the promise sure, and that is grace.
ACTION POINT:
Who can you share this Good News with today? Think of at least one person, and ask God to give you a bold love and a divine opportunity to do just that. We also invite you to read “You Can Be Sure” for more insights on the eternal security of the believer.
YOU TUBE SONG FOR TODAY
Pass It On
Kenny Wesley
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPRpLoH8VaA
…and…
Encouragement for Today
Only One Thing
Zoe Elmore
"You are worried and upset about many things,
but only one thing is needed.
Mary has chosen what is better,
and it will not be taken away from her."
Luke 10:41-42 (NIV)
Devotion:
I had a college professor who told our health class to be sure we had eight hours of sleep, eight hours of work, and eight hours of leisure. It was her opinion that this formula would bring about a balanced life.
I can see you rolling your eyes and thinking, "Really?"
While I don't agree with my professor's formula I do agree that our lives must have balance and in order to achieve that balance we must return to putting our relationship with the Lord first.
Remember the story where Jesus told Martha, the sister of Mary and Lazarus that she needed to rethink her priorities? Martha was upset with Mary because she dropped what she was doing to sit at the feet of Jesus. Martha, however, continued with her hostess responsibilities until she had enough.
"But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, ‘Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!'" (Luke 10:40, NIV).
But Jesus told Martha that it was Mary who had put her relationship with the Lord first in her life. "‘Martha, Martha,' the Lord answered, ‘You are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her'" (Luke 10:41-42,NIV).
Martha was one smart lady and she learned her lesson well. After this encounter, when Jesus arrived to call Lazarus from the grave, it was Mary who stayed in the house and Martha who went out to greet Him.
I love that it was Martha to whom Jesus said: "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" (John 11:25-26, NIV).
Her reply confirms just how much Martha's priorities had changed: "'Yes, Lord,' she told him, ‘I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world'" (John 11:27,NIV).
Setting priorities in today's fast-paced life can be challenging for sure.
We try to squeeze as much as we can into the twenty four hours in each day. Yet when we've had enough and can't take any more, that's when we find ourselves crying out to the Lord for help. If you're anything like me you will hear His sweet words whispering to your heart, "Only one thing is needed."
The simple truth is when we put God first in our lives; everything else will fall into place. Our responsibilities will continue and the demands of life will go on but God will be there to help us bring order out of chaos. "In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight" (Proverbs 3:6,NIV).
Dear Lord, I confess that my life is pulled in too many directions. When I am anxious about doing things I have trouble hearing Your Word. Help me to treasure the "one thing" that I need and trust You to put the rest in order, in Jesus' Name, amen.
Application Steps:
Prioritize all the commitments and responsibilities you have.
Ask God to reorganize your list and follow His leading.
Reflections:
What is your number one priority today?
Power Verses:
Matthew 6:24, "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money." (NIV)
Matthew 6:33, "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (NIV)
Thursday, May 13, 2010
5/14 Manna
DYSMAS CONDUIT
FREE FOOD
(Isa 55:1)
FRIDAY, MAY 14, 2010
Question for the day:
Who Said:
What can we pray with YOU about today?
Good morning,
This is just a reminder that every day, while we are studying God’s Word to add to our website, someone from our ministry, Dysmas Conduit, is holding you up before the Lord in prayer. May He greatly bless you today as you pursue His will and He is glorified through you.
God’s blessings, our love,
George & Sidney Granger
CURRENT PRAYER REQUESTS:
The Michigan Department of Corrections has granted permission for the Keryx Prison Ministry to bring Jesus’ message of love, grace, forgiveness and restoration to the Tuscola Re-entry program in Caro, MI in Keryx #2 between 5/13 and 5/16. Please pray for the forty men, who will experience this working of the Holy Spirit, and please pray for the men, several from Messiah, who will be bringing the message. For more information about Keryx, please visit http://keryx.org/ .
Please pray for Mike and Sandy Brommer as they spread the Lord’s Seed and witness to His glory while on the road today. Please pray also that the Lord will lead them to Kingdom-profitable loads to carry, and that He grants them safe passage today.
Mike Brommer is asking for the Lord’s guidance regarding their finances.
Christine Babel Henderson - Today when I called my Mother to find out what the Dr. told her about her test. She told me they needed to take more tests. She was told everything so far is pointing towards "colon cancer". Please take a moment from your busy day and remember my Mother in prayer. I lost my Father to liver cancer in 1991, I am NOT ready to let her go!!
Lauren Gibbons
First update on Bud. His surgery went very well. He expected to be in the hospital for 2 weeks afterward but his recovery is going so well that they were talking about releasing him yesterday. The procedure he had done was very invasive and is relatively new. It should keep him cancer free for many years. That's the most recent update I have on him.
Little granddaughter Baylee's surgery went very well. They finished fixing her top palette; this was her second surgery on it. She only had to be in the hospital one full day because she was eating and drinking so quickly afterward. She's a trooper and has never let these surgeries keep her down long. This is about the 4th surgery she's had to have but hopefully this one was the last.
Please continue to pray for continued healing for both. And for Baylee that her trache can be removed soon so she can speak. Right now, she pretty much uses one word "signs" to speak. Thanks so much. God bless you, Lauren
Please pray for Diane Kross a mom of a friend of mine who found out she has a tumor on her brain stem. She will have an appointment at U of M for more testing and plan of action. Please lift her husband George up in prayer, as he is worried about his wife and my friend up as she is very worried and concerned about her mom. I pray that they place this all into your hands Heavenly Father. --Ranee Tessin
Love Worth Finding
The Discipline Of Darkness-Part One
by Adrian Rogers
There are times in a Christian’s life when the lights just seem to go out and we enter a season of darkness.
When faced with calamity and nothing makes sense, the first question we ask is, “Why did God let this happen?” We feel we can bear just about anything if we only knew why. But what we need to ask isHOW. How are we going to respond?
We might as well admit it – Christians are often left in the dark. As you read this, you may be at the deathbed of a child. You may be going through financial distress. You may be enduring misrepresentation and disgrace or have a broken heart because of a broken home. The question haunts you – why?
What do you do when the lights go out?
In this message and the next, I have five propositions to consider. Here are the first three.
#1: Those Of Greatest Devotion May Know The Deepest Darkness
“Who is among you that fears the LORD, that obeys the voice of His servant, that walks in darkness, and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the LORD, and stay upon his God.” (Isaiah 50:10)
Darkness is not unusual for God’s choicest saints. No matter how close we walk to God, it’s not always sweetness and light. Who ever came up with the distorted idea that if we give our lives to Jesus, all will be joy and rose petals? We’re not going to waltz through life with ever-increasing health, success, a serene old age and a glorious exit. Thousands of saints who love God are deeply perplexed. Think of these Bible saints:
Job, godly man, wrote, “He hath fenced up my way that I cannot pass, and He hath set darkness in my paths” (Job 19:8).
Habakkuk prayed, “O LORD, how long shall I cry, and Thou wilt not hear! Even cry out unto Thee of violence, and Thou wilt not save!” (Habakkuk 1:2) The heavens seemed like brass.
John the Baptist found himself in prison. It didn’t make sense that Jesus could work miracles, even raise the dead, and yet John was in prison. He asked Jesus, “Are You the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?” (Luke 7:19).
Even Paul, the great apostle, said, “We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:8-9).
Great saints of history had the same experience. Read their biographies—many spoke of a dark night of the soul.
So if you’re in darkness, you’re in good company.
Notice that Isaiah describes the person in darkness as one who “fears Him and obeys the voice of His servant.” Darkness, therefore, does not mean we have sinned or are out the will of God.
# 2: THE FAITH THAT IS BORN IN THE LIGHT OFTEN GROWS IN THE DARK
“We should never doubt in the dark what God has shown us in the light.”
It is in darkness that we have to trust the Lord and “stay” upon Him. Think carefully: when have you grown the most? In sunny days when everything seemed perfect? Or at midnight when you cried out to God? It was in the darkness that you grew, wasn’t it?
Faith, like film, is developed in the dark. God wants us to develop a faith that goes beyond our understanding and experience.
How you act in the dark is the real test of your character. Have you noticed in a building when the lights suddenly go out, it’s the little children who begin to run and scream with fear? When the lights come back on, they behave once more.
“We walk by promises, not by explanations.”—Warren Wiersbe
What should you do when the lights suddenly go out in your life?
• First, look to the Lord. Isaiah 50:10 says “trust in Him.” Just because things don’t make sense to you doesn’t mean they don’t make sense. And just because they don’t make sense now, doesn’t mean they won’t make sense some day. If it doesn’t make sense, nonetheless trust the Lord.
• Not only trust, but also obey. Don’t stop praying for an unsaved spouse, even if they seem to get worse. Don’t stop giving in a financial reverse. Don’t stop witnessing, even if no one seems to respond. Don’t stop praising, even if you don’t feel like praising.
• Lean upon the Lord. “Stay” comes from the word for “staff.” Just as a shepherd leans on his staff, leanupon the Lord. David said, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me.” (Psalm 23:4) It’s better to be in a dark valley, leaning on Jesus, than on a sunlit mountain without Him.
We may not understand, but relationship is really more important than reason. It may be that we do not know Why in order that we may know Who.
In the dark valley, David no longer talks about the Lord (“the Lord is my shepherd”), he now talks to the Lord (“Thou are with me”).
However dark life becomes, you will find Jesus standing somewhere in the shadows.
YOU TUBE SONG FOR TODAY
I Will Call Upon the Lord
Petra
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_mM7GzvxYI
…and…
Back to the Bible
Woodrow Kroll and Tami Weissert
The Tax Collector: Praying for Mercy
PLAY NOW
The last prayer in this series comes from a parable
Jesus told about two men,
a proud Pharisee and an ashamed tax-collector.
We’ll contrast their two prayers,
what they reveal about our heart attitudes
towards each other and towards God.
We'll see God honors the humble,
repentant heart with His presence and His promises,
and consider what it means to pray like this in our lives today.
This message references: Luke 18:9-14
http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/back-to-the-bible/listen/the-tax-collector-praying-for-mercy-101976.html
Please send your prayer requests to
dysmasconduit.@gmail.com
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=658043086&ref=profile
http://twitter.com/home - DysmasConduit/224539
Question for the day: … Please see today's Manna at http://dysmasconduit.weebly.com/
FREE FOOD
(Isa 55:1)
FRIDAY, MAY 14, 2010
Question for the day:
Who Said:
What can we pray with YOU about today?
Good morning,
This is just a reminder that every day, while we are studying God’s Word to add to our website, someone from our ministry, Dysmas Conduit, is holding you up before the Lord in prayer. May He greatly bless you today as you pursue His will and He is glorified through you.
God’s blessings, our love,
George & Sidney Granger
CURRENT PRAYER REQUESTS:
The Michigan Department of Corrections has granted permission for the Keryx Prison Ministry to bring Jesus’ message of love, grace, forgiveness and restoration to the Tuscola Re-entry program in Caro, MI in Keryx #2 between 5/13 and 5/16. Please pray for the forty men, who will experience this working of the Holy Spirit, and please pray for the men, several from Messiah, who will be bringing the message. For more information about Keryx, please visit http://keryx.org/ .
Please pray for Mike and Sandy Brommer as they spread the Lord’s Seed and witness to His glory while on the road today. Please pray also that the Lord will lead them to Kingdom-profitable loads to carry, and that He grants them safe passage today.
Mike Brommer is asking for the Lord’s guidance regarding their finances.
Christine Babel Henderson - Today when I called my Mother to find out what the Dr. told her about her test. She told me they needed to take more tests. She was told everything so far is pointing towards "colon cancer". Please take a moment from your busy day and remember my Mother in prayer. I lost my Father to liver cancer in 1991, I am NOT ready to let her go!!
Lauren Gibbons
First update on Bud. His surgery went very well. He expected to be in the hospital for 2 weeks afterward but his recovery is going so well that they were talking about releasing him yesterday. The procedure he had done was very invasive and is relatively new. It should keep him cancer free for many years. That's the most recent update I have on him.
Little granddaughter Baylee's surgery went very well. They finished fixing her top palette; this was her second surgery on it. She only had to be in the hospital one full day because she was eating and drinking so quickly afterward. She's a trooper and has never let these surgeries keep her down long. This is about the 4th surgery she's had to have but hopefully this one was the last.
Please continue to pray for continued healing for both. And for Baylee that her trache can be removed soon so she can speak. Right now, she pretty much uses one word "signs" to speak. Thanks so much. God bless you, Lauren
Please pray for Diane Kross a mom of a friend of mine who found out she has a tumor on her brain stem. She will have an appointment at U of M for more testing and plan of action. Please lift her husband George up in prayer, as he is worried about his wife and my friend up as she is very worried and concerned about her mom. I pray that they place this all into your hands Heavenly Father. --Ranee Tessin
Love Worth Finding
The Discipline Of Darkness-Part One
by Adrian Rogers
There are times in a Christian’s life when the lights just seem to go out and we enter a season of darkness.
When faced with calamity and nothing makes sense, the first question we ask is, “Why did God let this happen?” We feel we can bear just about anything if we only knew why. But what we need to ask isHOW. How are we going to respond?
We might as well admit it – Christians are often left in the dark. As you read this, you may be at the deathbed of a child. You may be going through financial distress. You may be enduring misrepresentation and disgrace or have a broken heart because of a broken home. The question haunts you – why?
What do you do when the lights go out?
In this message and the next, I have five propositions to consider. Here are the first three.
#1: Those Of Greatest Devotion May Know The Deepest Darkness
“Who is among you that fears the LORD, that obeys the voice of His servant, that walks in darkness, and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the LORD, and stay upon his God.” (Isaiah 50:10)
Darkness is not unusual for God’s choicest saints. No matter how close we walk to God, it’s not always sweetness and light. Who ever came up with the distorted idea that if we give our lives to Jesus, all will be joy and rose petals? We’re not going to waltz through life with ever-increasing health, success, a serene old age and a glorious exit. Thousands of saints who love God are deeply perplexed. Think of these Bible saints:
Job, godly man, wrote, “He hath fenced up my way that I cannot pass, and He hath set darkness in my paths” (Job 19:8).
Habakkuk prayed, “O LORD, how long shall I cry, and Thou wilt not hear! Even cry out unto Thee of violence, and Thou wilt not save!” (Habakkuk 1:2) The heavens seemed like brass.
John the Baptist found himself in prison. It didn’t make sense that Jesus could work miracles, even raise the dead, and yet John was in prison. He asked Jesus, “Are You the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?” (Luke 7:19).
Even Paul, the great apostle, said, “We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:8-9).
Great saints of history had the same experience. Read their biographies—many spoke of a dark night of the soul.
So if you’re in darkness, you’re in good company.
Notice that Isaiah describes the person in darkness as one who “fears Him and obeys the voice of His servant.” Darkness, therefore, does not mean we have sinned or are out the will of God.
# 2: THE FAITH THAT IS BORN IN THE LIGHT OFTEN GROWS IN THE DARK
“We should never doubt in the dark what God has shown us in the light.”
It is in darkness that we have to trust the Lord and “stay” upon Him. Think carefully: when have you grown the most? In sunny days when everything seemed perfect? Or at midnight when you cried out to God? It was in the darkness that you grew, wasn’t it?
Faith, like film, is developed in the dark. God wants us to develop a faith that goes beyond our understanding and experience.
How you act in the dark is the real test of your character. Have you noticed in a building when the lights suddenly go out, it’s the little children who begin to run and scream with fear? When the lights come back on, they behave once more.
“We walk by promises, not by explanations.”—Warren Wiersbe
What should you do when the lights suddenly go out in your life?
• First, look to the Lord. Isaiah 50:10 says “trust in Him.” Just because things don’t make sense to you doesn’t mean they don’t make sense. And just because they don’t make sense now, doesn’t mean they won’t make sense some day. If it doesn’t make sense, nonetheless trust the Lord.
• Not only trust, but also obey. Don’t stop praying for an unsaved spouse, even if they seem to get worse. Don’t stop giving in a financial reverse. Don’t stop witnessing, even if no one seems to respond. Don’t stop praising, even if you don’t feel like praising.
• Lean upon the Lord. “Stay” comes from the word for “staff.” Just as a shepherd leans on his staff, leanupon the Lord. David said, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me.” (Psalm 23:4) It’s better to be in a dark valley, leaning on Jesus, than on a sunlit mountain without Him.
We may not understand, but relationship is really more important than reason. It may be that we do not know Why in order that we may know Who.
In the dark valley, David no longer talks about the Lord (“the Lord is my shepherd”), he now talks to the Lord (“Thou are with me”).
However dark life becomes, you will find Jesus standing somewhere in the shadows.
YOU TUBE SONG FOR TODAY
I Will Call Upon the Lord
Petra
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_mM7GzvxYI
…and…
Back to the Bible
Woodrow Kroll and Tami Weissert
The Tax Collector: Praying for Mercy
PLAY NOW
The last prayer in this series comes from a parable
Jesus told about two men,
a proud Pharisee and an ashamed tax-collector.
We’ll contrast their two prayers,
what they reveal about our heart attitudes
towards each other and towards God.
We'll see God honors the humble,
repentant heart with His presence and His promises,
and consider what it means to pray like this in our lives today.
This message references: Luke 18:9-14
http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/back-to-the-bible/listen/the-tax-collector-praying-for-mercy-101976.html
Please send your prayer requests to
dysmasconduit.@gmail.com
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=658043086&ref=profile
http://twitter.com/home - DysmasConduit/224539
Question for the day: … Please see today's Manna at http://dysmasconduit.weebly.com/
5/13 Manna
DYSMAS CONDUIT
FREE FOOD
(Isa 55:1)
THURSDAY, MAY 13, 2010
Question for the day:
What memories allow me to see God's divine hand in my life?
What can we pray with YOU about today?
Good morning,
This is just a reminder that every day, while we are studying God’s Word to add to our website, someone from our ministry, Dysmas Conduit, is holding you up before the Lord in prayer. May He greatly bless you today as you pursue His will and He is glorified through you.
God’s blessings, our love,
George & Sidney Granger
CURRENT PRAYER REQUESTS:
The Michigan Department of Corrections has granted permission for the Keryx Prison Ministry to bring Jesus’ message of love, grace, forgiveness and restoration to the Tuscola Re-entry program in Caro, MI in Keryx #2 between 5/13 and 5/16. Please pray for the forty men, who will experience this working of the Holy Spirit, and please pray for the men, several from Messiah, who will be bringing the message. For more information about Keryx, please visit http://keryx.org/ .
Please pray for Mike and Sandy Brommer as they spread the Lord’s Seed and witness to His glory while on the road today. Please pray also that the Lord will lead them to Kingdom-profitable loads to carry, and that He grants them safe passage today.
Mike Brommer is asking for the Lord’s guidance regarding their finances.
Christine Babel Henderson - Today when I called my Mother to find out what the Dr. told her about her test. She told me they needed to take more tests. She was told everything so far is pointing towards "colon cancer". Please take a moment from your busy day and remember my Mother in prayer. I lost my Father to liver cancer in 1991, I am NOT ready to let her go!!
Lauren Gibbons
First update on Bud. His surgery went very well. He expected to be in the hospital for 2 weeks afterward but his recovery is going so well that they were talking about releasing him yesterday. The procedure he had done was very invasive and is relatively new. It should keep him cancer free for many years. That's the most recent update I have on him.
Little granddaughter Baylee's surgery went very well. They finished fixing her top palette; this was her second surgery on it. She only had to be in the hospital one full day because she was eating and drinking so quickly afterward. She's a trooper and has never let these surgeries keep her down long. This is about the 4th surgery she's had to have but hopefully this one was the last.
Please continue to pray for continued healing for both. And for Baylee that her trache can be removed soon so she can speak. Right now, she pretty much uses one word "signs" to speak. Thanks so much. God bless you, Lauren
Connee Babel Bruce - PRAYER ALERT!!! FROM Karen Nagle Williams For AUDRIN KING. Hold the family up in prayer today. Her two year old daughter was just diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer. If you see this post, even if you don't know her, God knows... Please post this to your profile for 1 hour and say a prayer for that little girl (Please...) and God Bless you for doing it!
ENCOURAGEMENT FOR TODAY
May 13, 2010
Remember
Luann Prater
"Remember your word to your servant,
for you have given me hope."
Psalm 119:49 (NIV)
Devotion:
I recall the moments of despair. I couldn't see my way out. Three small children were depending on me and that thought was overwhelming. I would cry in the middle of my mobile home floor, feeling desperately lonely. I wondered if I would have food to feed them or a way to keep them warm.
Child support was $142 a month, but I rarely received it. I worked a full time job, took in laundry, and worked as a waitress during holidays. When all three kids would get sick at the same time, my life felt like a nightmare. The thought of driving off a cliff entered my mind more than once, but I couldn't bear to think what that would do to my kids for the rest of their lives.
I wanted someone (I would have settled for ANYONE at times) to just even pretend to care about me. Would rescue ever come?
Then one day I made the decision to look for the good. My baby went to the potty (hey, that was a big deal). My oldest waved from the school bus. My son poured on a heart-melting smile. Choosing to laugh more than cry and finding the fun in each day was often like seeking buried treasure. But most days the good was there; it just wasn't as noticeable as the bad. Focusing on those moments felt like breath in my lungs.
My theme song was Carole King's "Beautiful" that says, "You've got to get up every morning with a smile on your face." Gray had dominated my days for far too long, the sun needed to shine in my life again.
I remember purposely watching other moms who had happy kids to see what they were doing right. And those who seemed to have peace, even in the middle of their meltdowns particularly intrigued me. What did they have that my ‘pull-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps' mentality wasn't fulfilling?
Jesus. They simply had found the Prince of Peace who sends the Counselor into your heart when you accept Him. Watching those examples made me hunger for that relationship in my own life.
Now, as I look back, I see the string of choices, the dots that all connected. They all brought me to this very day. This day when I am sitting at my breakfast table, peering at the stars glistening in the sky, writing this note to you, my friend. The note says, "You can do this. We can't possibly see the road ahead or try to understand where it is going, but I guarantee you the Creator of the universe is connecting your dots."
Father, I need your help to make it through today. I need to notice the good. Don't let me forget You've brought me through every struggle I've ever faced. Remind me to share that good news with others who need to hear it, in Jesus' Name, amen.
Application Steps:
Reach out to a single mom who needs a break. Offer her help.
Reflections:
What memories allow me to see God's divine hand in my life?
How do I share that hope with others?
Who may be watching me, hoping to find lasting Hope?
Power Verses:
Deuteronomy 31:8, "The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." (NIV)
Genesis 21:16a-17, 19, "And as she sat there nearby, she began to sob. God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, 'What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water." (NIV)
YOU TUBE SONG FOR TODAY
I’ll Lead You Home
Michael W Smith
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgnLfY0t3Mc
…and…
Back to the Bible
Woodrow Kroll and Tami Weissert
The Bible's Authority
Over the Church
Thursday, May 13, 2010
PLAY NOW
Who gets the final word? Church leaders,
religious traditions or the Word of God?
Join Woodrow Kroll for the answers...
Series: Is the Bible Really Your Authority?
http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/Back_to_the_Bible/
Please send your prayer requests to
dysmasconduit.@gmail.com
FREE FOOD
(Isa 55:1)
THURSDAY, MAY 13, 2010
Question for the day:
What memories allow me to see God's divine hand in my life?
What can we pray with YOU about today?
Good morning,
This is just a reminder that every day, while we are studying God’s Word to add to our website, someone from our ministry, Dysmas Conduit, is holding you up before the Lord in prayer. May He greatly bless you today as you pursue His will and He is glorified through you.
God’s blessings, our love,
George & Sidney Granger
CURRENT PRAYER REQUESTS:
The Michigan Department of Corrections has granted permission for the Keryx Prison Ministry to bring Jesus’ message of love, grace, forgiveness and restoration to the Tuscola Re-entry program in Caro, MI in Keryx #2 between 5/13 and 5/16. Please pray for the forty men, who will experience this working of the Holy Spirit, and please pray for the men, several from Messiah, who will be bringing the message. For more information about Keryx, please visit http://keryx.org/ .
Please pray for Mike and Sandy Brommer as they spread the Lord’s Seed and witness to His glory while on the road today. Please pray also that the Lord will lead them to Kingdom-profitable loads to carry, and that He grants them safe passage today.
Mike Brommer is asking for the Lord’s guidance regarding their finances.
Christine Babel Henderson - Today when I called my Mother to find out what the Dr. told her about her test. She told me they needed to take more tests. She was told everything so far is pointing towards "colon cancer". Please take a moment from your busy day and remember my Mother in prayer. I lost my Father to liver cancer in 1991, I am NOT ready to let her go!!
Lauren Gibbons
First update on Bud. His surgery went very well. He expected to be in the hospital for 2 weeks afterward but his recovery is going so well that they were talking about releasing him yesterday. The procedure he had done was very invasive and is relatively new. It should keep him cancer free for many years. That's the most recent update I have on him.
Little granddaughter Baylee's surgery went very well. They finished fixing her top palette; this was her second surgery on it. She only had to be in the hospital one full day because she was eating and drinking so quickly afterward. She's a trooper and has never let these surgeries keep her down long. This is about the 4th surgery she's had to have but hopefully this one was the last.
Please continue to pray for continued healing for both. And for Baylee that her trache can be removed soon so she can speak. Right now, she pretty much uses one word "signs" to speak. Thanks so much. God bless you, Lauren
Connee Babel Bruce - PRAYER ALERT!!! FROM Karen Nagle Williams For AUDRIN KING. Hold the family up in prayer today. Her two year old daughter was just diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer. If you see this post, even if you don't know her, God knows... Please post this to your profile for 1 hour and say a prayer for that little girl (Please...) and God Bless you for doing it!
ENCOURAGEMENT FOR TODAY
May 13, 2010
Remember
Luann Prater
"Remember your word to your servant,
for you have given me hope."
Psalm 119:49 (NIV)
Devotion:
I recall the moments of despair. I couldn't see my way out. Three small children were depending on me and that thought was overwhelming. I would cry in the middle of my mobile home floor, feeling desperately lonely. I wondered if I would have food to feed them or a way to keep them warm.
Child support was $142 a month, but I rarely received it. I worked a full time job, took in laundry, and worked as a waitress during holidays. When all three kids would get sick at the same time, my life felt like a nightmare. The thought of driving off a cliff entered my mind more than once, but I couldn't bear to think what that would do to my kids for the rest of their lives.
I wanted someone (I would have settled for ANYONE at times) to just even pretend to care about me. Would rescue ever come?
Then one day I made the decision to look for the good. My baby went to the potty (hey, that was a big deal). My oldest waved from the school bus. My son poured on a heart-melting smile. Choosing to laugh more than cry and finding the fun in each day was often like seeking buried treasure. But most days the good was there; it just wasn't as noticeable as the bad. Focusing on those moments felt like breath in my lungs.
My theme song was Carole King's "Beautiful" that says, "You've got to get up every morning with a smile on your face." Gray had dominated my days for far too long, the sun needed to shine in my life again.
I remember purposely watching other moms who had happy kids to see what they were doing right. And those who seemed to have peace, even in the middle of their meltdowns particularly intrigued me. What did they have that my ‘pull-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps' mentality wasn't fulfilling?
Jesus. They simply had found the Prince of Peace who sends the Counselor into your heart when you accept Him. Watching those examples made me hunger for that relationship in my own life.
Now, as I look back, I see the string of choices, the dots that all connected. They all brought me to this very day. This day when I am sitting at my breakfast table, peering at the stars glistening in the sky, writing this note to you, my friend. The note says, "You can do this. We can't possibly see the road ahead or try to understand where it is going, but I guarantee you the Creator of the universe is connecting your dots."
Father, I need your help to make it through today. I need to notice the good. Don't let me forget You've brought me through every struggle I've ever faced. Remind me to share that good news with others who need to hear it, in Jesus' Name, amen.
Application Steps:
Reach out to a single mom who needs a break. Offer her help.
Reflections:
What memories allow me to see God's divine hand in my life?
How do I share that hope with others?
Who may be watching me, hoping to find lasting Hope?
Power Verses:
Deuteronomy 31:8, "The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." (NIV)
Genesis 21:16a-17, 19, "And as she sat there nearby, she began to sob. God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, 'What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water." (NIV)
YOU TUBE SONG FOR TODAY
I’ll Lead You Home
Michael W Smith
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgnLfY0t3Mc
…and…
Back to the Bible
Woodrow Kroll and Tami Weissert
The Bible's Authority
Over the Church
Thursday, May 13, 2010
PLAY NOW
Who gets the final word? Church leaders,
religious traditions or the Word of God?
Join Woodrow Kroll for the answers...
Series: Is the Bible Really Your Authority?
http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/Back_to_the_Bible/
Please send your prayer requests to
dysmasconduit.@gmail.com
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
5/12 Manna
DYSMAS CONDUIT
FREE FOOD
(Isa 55:1)
WEDNESDAY, MAY 12, 2010
God’s answer:
“I’m not the One Who moved!”
What can we pray with YOU about today?
Good morning,
This is just a reminder that every day, while we are studying God’s Word to add to our website, someone from our ministry, Dysmas Conduit, is holding you up before the Lord in prayer. May He greatly bless you today as you pursue His will and He is glorified through you.
God’s blessings, our love,
George & Sidney Granger
CURRENT PRAYER REQUESTS:
The Michigan Department of Corrections has granted permission for the Keryx Prison Ministry to bring Jesus’ message of love, grace, forgiveness and restoration to the Tuscola Re-entry program in Caro, MI in Keryx #2 between 5/13 and 5/16. Please pray for the forty men, who will experience this working of the Holy Spirit, and please pray for the men, several from Messiah, who will be bringing the message. For more information about Keryx, please visit http://keryx.org/ .
Please pray for Mike and Sandy Brommer as they spread the Lord’s Seed and witness to His glory while on the road today. Please pray also that the Lord will lead them to Kingdom-profitable loads to carry, and that He grants them safe passage today.
Mike Brommer is asking for the Lord’s guidance regarding their finances.
Christine Babel Henderson - Today when I called my Mother to find out what the Dr. told her about her test. She told me they needed to take more tests. She was told everything so far is pointing towards "colon cancer". Please take a moment from your busy day and remember my Mother in prayer. I lost my Father to liver cancer in 1991, I am NOT ready to let her go!!
Please lift Dwight Humm in prayer. He is on his way to Ann Arbor for eye surgery. --Jackie Maxwell
Lauren Gibbons
First update on Bud. His surgery went very well. He expected to be in the hospital for 2 weeks afterward but his recovery is going so well that they were talking about releasing him yesterday. The procedure he had done was very invasive and is relatively new. It should keep him cancer free for many years. That's the most recent update I have on him.
Little granddaughter Baylee's surgery went very well. They finished fixing her top palette; this was her second surgery on it. She only had to be in the hospital one full day because she was eating and drinking so quickly afterward. She's a trooper and has never let these surgeries keep her down long. This is about the 4th surgery she's had to have but hopefully this one was the last.
Please continue to pray for continued healing for both. And for Baylee that her trache can be removed soon so she can speak. Right now, she pretty much uses one word "signs" to speak. Thanks so much. God bless you, Lauren
ENCOURAGEMENT FOR TODAY
May 12, 2010
Instead of Shame
Susanne Scheppmann
"Instead of their shame my people will receive a double portion,
and instead of disgrace they will rejoice in their inheritance;
and so they will inherit a double portion in their land,
and everlasting joy will be theirs."
Isaiah 61:7 (NIV)
Devotion:
I turned and walked away from God in anger and disappointment. I tossed away the calling of ministry on my life. The Lord had hurt my feelings, so I left my faith to find a fresh path.
This happened during my twenties. With two toddlers climbing up my legs during the day and crying intermittently during the night, I was physically exhausted. Emotional turmoil began to disintegrate my marriage. My immature faith lacked the stamina to hold to God tightly. So, for seven years I wandered through sin, divorce, and miserable meanderings of my own making. It was a time of spiritual drought—the years of shame.
Although I walked away from God, He did not walk away from me. The Lord allowed me to experience life in the wilderness of doubt, but He was right there watching over me and waiting for me to return to the call of ministry placed on my life at age eighteen.
Eventually, I allowed myself to feel His presence in my life. Little by little, the Lord Jesus wooed me back to Himself. I remember the exact time and place that I felt Him whisper to my spirit, "Let's start over and do it right this time." I wept with relief and joy. I began to study the Bible and allowed it to change my damaged spiritual heart. This time it wasn't going to be head knowledge, but heart knowledge.
My faith was back on track, but I did not think my calling to ministry could ever be restored. Hadn't I traveled too far off the godly path? Surely, God didn't want me anymore in service to His Kingdom. Surely, He had more qualified daughters that could minister to others without the shame of a sullied past such as mine.
However, that is not how God thinks at all. The Bible says, "For God's gifts and his call are irrevocable” (Romans 11:29, NIV). The Lord desires for us to move beyond the shame of past mistakes and into His calling for our lives. He will restore us to useful service in the Kingdom. It takes time and it is a process, but the Almighty God still has a plan for each of our lives. He intends to replace disgrace with rejoicing, so that we may show our world that we are living miracles.
Do I hear an "Amen"?
Dear Lord, thank You for having mercy on me. Display Your will for my life. Enable me to fulfill the gifts and call in my life, so that others will understand Your grace and mighty power, in Jesus' Name, amen.
Reflections:
Do I feel I have lost my chance to use my spiritual gifts?
How can I begin to use my spiritual gifts to display God's mercy in my life?
Power Verses:
Joel 2:26, "You will have plenty to eat, until you are full, and you will praise the name of the Lord your God, who has worked wonders for you; never again will my people be shamed." (NIV)
Psalm 36:5, "Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies." (NIV)
Romans 11:29-30, "For God's gifts and his call are irrevocable. Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience." (NIV)
YOU TUBE SONG FOR TODAY
Blessed Be Your Name
Tree 63
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=du0il6d-DAk
…and…
The Bible's Authority
Over Human Wisdom
Back to the Bible with Woodrow Kroll and Tami Weissert
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
PLAY NOW
We may be intelligent, even wise,
but we've got nothing on the Bible's wisdom and authority,
as you'll see today with Dr. Kroll...
Series: Is the Bible Really Your Authority?
http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/Back_to_the_Bible/
Please send your prayer requests to
dysmasconduit.@gmail.com
FREE FOOD
(Isa 55:1)
WEDNESDAY, MAY 12, 2010
God’s answer:
“I’m not the One Who moved!”
What can we pray with YOU about today?
Good morning,
This is just a reminder that every day, while we are studying God’s Word to add to our website, someone from our ministry, Dysmas Conduit, is holding you up before the Lord in prayer. May He greatly bless you today as you pursue His will and He is glorified through you.
God’s blessings, our love,
George & Sidney Granger
CURRENT PRAYER REQUESTS:
The Michigan Department of Corrections has granted permission for the Keryx Prison Ministry to bring Jesus’ message of love, grace, forgiveness and restoration to the Tuscola Re-entry program in Caro, MI in Keryx #2 between 5/13 and 5/16. Please pray for the forty men, who will experience this working of the Holy Spirit, and please pray for the men, several from Messiah, who will be bringing the message. For more information about Keryx, please visit http://keryx.org/ .
Please pray for Mike and Sandy Brommer as they spread the Lord’s Seed and witness to His glory while on the road today. Please pray also that the Lord will lead them to Kingdom-profitable loads to carry, and that He grants them safe passage today.
Mike Brommer is asking for the Lord’s guidance regarding their finances.
Christine Babel Henderson - Today when I called my Mother to find out what the Dr. told her about her test. She told me they needed to take more tests. She was told everything so far is pointing towards "colon cancer". Please take a moment from your busy day and remember my Mother in prayer. I lost my Father to liver cancer in 1991, I am NOT ready to let her go!!
Please lift Dwight Humm in prayer. He is on his way to Ann Arbor for eye surgery. --Jackie Maxwell
Lauren Gibbons
First update on Bud. His surgery went very well. He expected to be in the hospital for 2 weeks afterward but his recovery is going so well that they were talking about releasing him yesterday. The procedure he had done was very invasive and is relatively new. It should keep him cancer free for many years. That's the most recent update I have on him.
Little granddaughter Baylee's surgery went very well. They finished fixing her top palette; this was her second surgery on it. She only had to be in the hospital one full day because she was eating and drinking so quickly afterward. She's a trooper and has never let these surgeries keep her down long. This is about the 4th surgery she's had to have but hopefully this one was the last.
Please continue to pray for continued healing for both. And for Baylee that her trache can be removed soon so she can speak. Right now, she pretty much uses one word "signs" to speak. Thanks so much. God bless you, Lauren
ENCOURAGEMENT FOR TODAY
May 12, 2010
Instead of Shame
Susanne Scheppmann
"Instead of their shame my people will receive a double portion,
and instead of disgrace they will rejoice in their inheritance;
and so they will inherit a double portion in their land,
and everlasting joy will be theirs."
Isaiah 61:7 (NIV)
Devotion:
I turned and walked away from God in anger and disappointment. I tossed away the calling of ministry on my life. The Lord had hurt my feelings, so I left my faith to find a fresh path.
This happened during my twenties. With two toddlers climbing up my legs during the day and crying intermittently during the night, I was physically exhausted. Emotional turmoil began to disintegrate my marriage. My immature faith lacked the stamina to hold to God tightly. So, for seven years I wandered through sin, divorce, and miserable meanderings of my own making. It was a time of spiritual drought—the years of shame.
Although I walked away from God, He did not walk away from me. The Lord allowed me to experience life in the wilderness of doubt, but He was right there watching over me and waiting for me to return to the call of ministry placed on my life at age eighteen.
Eventually, I allowed myself to feel His presence in my life. Little by little, the Lord Jesus wooed me back to Himself. I remember the exact time and place that I felt Him whisper to my spirit, "Let's start over and do it right this time." I wept with relief and joy. I began to study the Bible and allowed it to change my damaged spiritual heart. This time it wasn't going to be head knowledge, but heart knowledge.
My faith was back on track, but I did not think my calling to ministry could ever be restored. Hadn't I traveled too far off the godly path? Surely, God didn't want me anymore in service to His Kingdom. Surely, He had more qualified daughters that could minister to others without the shame of a sullied past such as mine.
However, that is not how God thinks at all. The Bible says, "For God's gifts and his call are irrevocable” (Romans 11:29, NIV). The Lord desires for us to move beyond the shame of past mistakes and into His calling for our lives. He will restore us to useful service in the Kingdom. It takes time and it is a process, but the Almighty God still has a plan for each of our lives. He intends to replace disgrace with rejoicing, so that we may show our world that we are living miracles.
Do I hear an "Amen"?
Dear Lord, thank You for having mercy on me. Display Your will for my life. Enable me to fulfill the gifts and call in my life, so that others will understand Your grace and mighty power, in Jesus' Name, amen.
Reflections:
Do I feel I have lost my chance to use my spiritual gifts?
How can I begin to use my spiritual gifts to display God's mercy in my life?
Power Verses:
Joel 2:26, "You will have plenty to eat, until you are full, and you will praise the name of the Lord your God, who has worked wonders for you; never again will my people be shamed." (NIV)
Psalm 36:5, "Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies." (NIV)
Romans 11:29-30, "For God's gifts and his call are irrevocable. Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience." (NIV)
YOU TUBE SONG FOR TODAY
Blessed Be Your Name
Tree 63
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=du0il6d-DAk
…and…
The Bible's Authority
Over Human Wisdom
Back to the Bible with Woodrow Kroll and Tami Weissert
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
PLAY NOW
We may be intelligent, even wise,
but we've got nothing on the Bible's wisdom and authority,
as you'll see today with Dr. Kroll...
Series: Is the Bible Really Your Authority?
http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/Back_to_the_Bible/
Please send your prayer requests to
dysmasconduit.@gmail.com
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
5/11 Manna
DYSMAS CONDUIT
FREE FOOD
(Isa 55:1)
TUESDAY, MAY 11, 2010
Question for the day:
Has anything “good” you have done ever turned out to be a much bigger deal than you thought it would when you did it?
What can we pray with YOU about today?
Good morning,
This is just a reminder that every day, while we are studying God’s Word to add to our website, someone from our ministry, Dysmas Conduit, is holding you up before the Lord in prayer. May He greatly bless you today as you pursue His will and He is glorified through you.
God’s blessings, our love,
George & Sidney Granger
CURRENT PRAYER REQUESTS:
The Michigan Department of Corrections has granted permission for the Keryx Prison Ministry to bring Jesus’ message to the Tuscola Re-entry program in Caro, MI in Keryx #2 between 5/13 and 5/16. Please pray for the forty men who will experience this working of the Holy Spirit, and please pray for the men who will be bringing the message. For more information about Keryx, please visit http://keryx.org/ .
Please pray for Mike and Sandy Brommer as they spread the Lord’s Seed and witness to His glory while on the road today. Please pray also that the Lord will lead them to Kingdom-profitable loads to carry, and that He grants them safe passage today.
Mike Brommer is asking for the Lord’s guidance regarding their finances.
Joe Booth – that my back will heal and everything will go back to normal and there won’t be anymore pain
Coldwell Family – The Wakeman family, the loss of their daughter
Sherry Kerns – Mother Leona Dopp, right hip
Anonymous – daughter’s health issues and their family problems
Anonymous – for my son who has been struggling with addictions, he is moving in the right direction. I want him to remember his faith and to know that God is always with him
Tamara Gandy – a friend who has returned from Iraq and is depressed, has insomnia
Anonymous – Rita Klemish who continues to recover from brain surgeries
Anonymous – My sister who is at the 1016 in Midland
Trombley Family – Faith, strength and healing. Connection with family
Brewster Family – Paula Mann, went through stem cell surgery; Karen Ulmer, dealing with her cancer and chemo
Anonymous – My Family
Carol Greyerbiehl – continued prayer for all our troops and their families
Ben Wright – various job opportunities, my current job, my children
Gay Family – Linda Alexander, scan OK, prayers worked!!
Burkhard Family – Thank you for all of your prayers. We moved into our new house. Please pray for future plans as Michelle was laid off on Tuesday.
Fort Family – Son and daughter-in-law out of work since February. Need employment and above all, God’s guidance and direction
Kaylee Meissner – pray for my grandma Judy. She just went through 2 losses
Anonymous – Our mother, she is struggling with surgery on her arm and is very upset
McLaughlin Family – Dasia Brown for healing for complications with a bone marrow transplant
Sirrine / Miller Family – Grandpa Tom because his lungs are messed up
Holt Family – My brothers Tim and Tom, that they would return to God. Also Casey and Brendan Johansen, that their faith in God would grow
Bornheimer Family – Hooray! Our son Stephen graduated for Concordia University / Ann Arbor yesterday!
Christine Babel Henderson - Today when I called my Mother to find out what the Dr. told her about her test. She told me they needed to take more tests. She was told everything so far is pointing towards "colon cancer". Please take a moment from your busy day and remember my Mother in prayer. I lost my Father to liver cancer in 1991, I am NOT ready to let her go!!
Lauren Gibbons
First update on Bud. His surgery went very well. He expected to be in the hospital for 2 weeks afterward but his recovery is going so well that they were talking about releasing him yesterday. The procedure he had done was very invasive and is relatively new. It should keep him cancer free for many years. That's the most recent update I have on him.
Little granddaughter Baylee's surgery went very well. They finished fixing her top palette; this was her second surgery on it. She only had to be in the hospital one full day because she was eating and drinking so quickly afterward. She's a trooper and has never let these surgeries keep her down long. This is about the 4th surgery she's had to have but hopefully this one was the last.
Please continue to pray for continued healing for both. And for Baylee that her trache can be removed soon so she can speak. Right now, she pretty much uses one word "signs" to speak. Thanks so much. God bless you, Lauren
ENCOURAGEMENT FOR TODAY
May 11, 2010
6:47
Marybeth Whalen
‘"How many loaves do you have?' he asked.
‘Go and see.' When they found out, they said,
‘Five—and two fish.'"
Mark 6:38 (NIV)
Devotion:
I glanced at the clock on the bottom of my computer. It was 6:47 pm and the email had been sent hours earlier. I kicked myself for not checking my email that afternoon and regretted not being able to respond to my friend's plea for prayer as she prepared to share her testimony in a small group at her church. I scanned through her email again and saw that the time she was supposed to begin was at 6:30. Feeling a little foolish, I typed a quick email:
"Dear Karen," I wrote, "It is 6:47 and I am praying your testimony will be effective in the hearts of those who listen." I had no idea why I included the time, it just felt like the right thing to do. I guess because I wanted her to know I did what I could as soon as I could. The next morning, I woke up to this email:
"NO WAY!!!!!!!!!! I was told to arrive at 6:30 and we'd start once the ladies got their kids settled. The leader had me start.....AT 6:47!!!!"
There are too many times that I have been in a situation like that and done nothing because I couldn't do it "right." I beat myself up with thoughts like: A better friend would have prayed as soon as the email came out. A more organized person would have checked her email earlier. How often do we feel like we fall short of what we could be doing as Christians? We wish we could give more, pray harder, speak up more, offer more time. And in the end, because we can't do as much as we want, we throw up our hands and do nothing. Because we can't do it all, we don't do anything at all.
As I read my friend's response, I was glad I did something, taking the little I had to offer and giving it anyway. I was too late by my timing, but not by God's. I had missed the opportunity to pray for my friend before but God miraculously had me open the email at the moment she was beginning and pray then.
In Mark 6:35-44, Jesus performs the miracle of feeding the 5000 men. The disciples told Him that they didn't have enough to feed the crowd. They were ready to give up. I love the question that He asks them in our verse today: "Well, what do you have? Go and see." When they turned over what they did have to Him, He was able to multiply it beyond what they could have imagined.
So many times I come to Him and say the same: "I just have this little tiny bit…of money, of time, of resources, of energy."
And He says, "Bring what you have to me. That's all I ask. Let me take care of it from here."
So I ask what little you might have to give? You might not be able to give $1000. But you could give $10. You might not be able to pledge hours and hours to serve at church. But you can serve once a month for one hour. You might not feel comfortable speaking to crowds. But you're great at sharing what God's doing in your life one-on-one. You might not be able to lead a prayer ministry. But you can pray for a friend who needs it, even if it seems like you're too late.
Let God take your little and make it much. Let Him take your 6:47 and make it right on time.
Dear Lord, show me how I can respond when I feel like I don't have enough. Help me to offer my little in Your name and watch You respond in multiples. Open my eyes to the times I need to offer what I can and let that be enough, trusting You with the rest, in Jesus' Name, amen.
Application Steps:
Jesus is asking you: What do you have? Go and see. Spend time today seeing what you have.
Reflections:
What are the things that keep you from saying yes? Fear? Inadequacy? Insecurity? How can doing something little help you overcome these things?
Power Verses:
2 Kings 4:43, "'How can I set this before a hundred men?' his servant asked. But Elisha answered, ‘Give it to the people to eat. For this is what the Lord says: ‘They will eat and have some left over.'" (NIV)
2 Kings 4:44, "Then he set it before them, and they ate and had some left over, according to the word of the Lord." (NIV)
YOU TUBE SONG FOR TODAY
The Way I Was Made
Chris Tomlin
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VF5SZWox_JE
…and…
Back to the Bible
Woodrow Kroll and Tami Weissert
The Inerrancy and Infallibility
of the Bible
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
PLAY NOW
We're so used to things being imperfect and full of mistakes,
it's hard to believe that something could be totally without error.
But that's exactly what the Bible is...
Series: Is the Bible Really Your Authority?
http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/Back_to_the_Bible/
Please send your prayer requests to
dysmasconduit.@gmail.com
FREE FOOD
(Isa 55:1)
TUESDAY, MAY 11, 2010
Question for the day:
Has anything “good” you have done ever turned out to be a much bigger deal than you thought it would when you did it?
What can we pray with YOU about today?
Good morning,
This is just a reminder that every day, while we are studying God’s Word to add to our website, someone from our ministry, Dysmas Conduit, is holding you up before the Lord in prayer. May He greatly bless you today as you pursue His will and He is glorified through you.
God’s blessings, our love,
George & Sidney Granger
CURRENT PRAYER REQUESTS:
The Michigan Department of Corrections has granted permission for the Keryx Prison Ministry to bring Jesus’ message to the Tuscola Re-entry program in Caro, MI in Keryx #2 between 5/13 and 5/16. Please pray for the forty men who will experience this working of the Holy Spirit, and please pray for the men who will be bringing the message. For more information about Keryx, please visit http://keryx.org/ .
Please pray for Mike and Sandy Brommer as they spread the Lord’s Seed and witness to His glory while on the road today. Please pray also that the Lord will lead them to Kingdom-profitable loads to carry, and that He grants them safe passage today.
Mike Brommer is asking for the Lord’s guidance regarding their finances.
Joe Booth – that my back will heal and everything will go back to normal and there won’t be anymore pain
Coldwell Family – The Wakeman family, the loss of their daughter
Sherry Kerns – Mother Leona Dopp, right hip
Anonymous – daughter’s health issues and their family problems
Anonymous – for my son who has been struggling with addictions, he is moving in the right direction. I want him to remember his faith and to know that God is always with him
Tamara Gandy – a friend who has returned from Iraq and is depressed, has insomnia
Anonymous – Rita Klemish who continues to recover from brain surgeries
Anonymous – My sister who is at the 1016 in Midland
Trombley Family – Faith, strength and healing. Connection with family
Brewster Family – Paula Mann, went through stem cell surgery; Karen Ulmer, dealing with her cancer and chemo
Anonymous – My Family
Carol Greyerbiehl – continued prayer for all our troops and their families
Ben Wright – various job opportunities, my current job, my children
Gay Family – Linda Alexander, scan OK, prayers worked!!
Burkhard Family – Thank you for all of your prayers. We moved into our new house. Please pray for future plans as Michelle was laid off on Tuesday.
Fort Family – Son and daughter-in-law out of work since February. Need employment and above all, God’s guidance and direction
Kaylee Meissner – pray for my grandma Judy. She just went through 2 losses
Anonymous – Our mother, she is struggling with surgery on her arm and is very upset
McLaughlin Family – Dasia Brown for healing for complications with a bone marrow transplant
Sirrine / Miller Family – Grandpa Tom because his lungs are messed up
Holt Family – My brothers Tim and Tom, that they would return to God. Also Casey and Brendan Johansen, that their faith in God would grow
Bornheimer Family – Hooray! Our son Stephen graduated for Concordia University / Ann Arbor yesterday!
Christine Babel Henderson - Today when I called my Mother to find out what the Dr. told her about her test. She told me they needed to take more tests. She was told everything so far is pointing towards "colon cancer". Please take a moment from your busy day and remember my Mother in prayer. I lost my Father to liver cancer in 1991, I am NOT ready to let her go!!
Lauren Gibbons
First update on Bud. His surgery went very well. He expected to be in the hospital for 2 weeks afterward but his recovery is going so well that they were talking about releasing him yesterday. The procedure he had done was very invasive and is relatively new. It should keep him cancer free for many years. That's the most recent update I have on him.
Little granddaughter Baylee's surgery went very well. They finished fixing her top palette; this was her second surgery on it. She only had to be in the hospital one full day because she was eating and drinking so quickly afterward. She's a trooper and has never let these surgeries keep her down long. This is about the 4th surgery she's had to have but hopefully this one was the last.
Please continue to pray for continued healing for both. And for Baylee that her trache can be removed soon so she can speak. Right now, she pretty much uses one word "signs" to speak. Thanks so much. God bless you, Lauren
ENCOURAGEMENT FOR TODAY
May 11, 2010
6:47
Marybeth Whalen
‘"How many loaves do you have?' he asked.
‘Go and see.' When they found out, they said,
‘Five—and two fish.'"
Mark 6:38 (NIV)
Devotion:
I glanced at the clock on the bottom of my computer. It was 6:47 pm and the email had been sent hours earlier. I kicked myself for not checking my email that afternoon and regretted not being able to respond to my friend's plea for prayer as she prepared to share her testimony in a small group at her church. I scanned through her email again and saw that the time she was supposed to begin was at 6:30. Feeling a little foolish, I typed a quick email:
"Dear Karen," I wrote, "It is 6:47 and I am praying your testimony will be effective in the hearts of those who listen." I had no idea why I included the time, it just felt like the right thing to do. I guess because I wanted her to know I did what I could as soon as I could. The next morning, I woke up to this email:
"NO WAY!!!!!!!!!! I was told to arrive at 6:30 and we'd start once the ladies got their kids settled. The leader had me start.....AT 6:47!!!!"
There are too many times that I have been in a situation like that and done nothing because I couldn't do it "right." I beat myself up with thoughts like: A better friend would have prayed as soon as the email came out. A more organized person would have checked her email earlier. How often do we feel like we fall short of what we could be doing as Christians? We wish we could give more, pray harder, speak up more, offer more time. And in the end, because we can't do as much as we want, we throw up our hands and do nothing. Because we can't do it all, we don't do anything at all.
As I read my friend's response, I was glad I did something, taking the little I had to offer and giving it anyway. I was too late by my timing, but not by God's. I had missed the opportunity to pray for my friend before but God miraculously had me open the email at the moment she was beginning and pray then.
In Mark 6:35-44, Jesus performs the miracle of feeding the 5000 men. The disciples told Him that they didn't have enough to feed the crowd. They were ready to give up. I love the question that He asks them in our verse today: "Well, what do you have? Go and see." When they turned over what they did have to Him, He was able to multiply it beyond what they could have imagined.
So many times I come to Him and say the same: "I just have this little tiny bit…of money, of time, of resources, of energy."
And He says, "Bring what you have to me. That's all I ask. Let me take care of it from here."
So I ask what little you might have to give? You might not be able to give $1000. But you could give $10. You might not be able to pledge hours and hours to serve at church. But you can serve once a month for one hour. You might not feel comfortable speaking to crowds. But you're great at sharing what God's doing in your life one-on-one. You might not be able to lead a prayer ministry. But you can pray for a friend who needs it, even if it seems like you're too late.
Let God take your little and make it much. Let Him take your 6:47 and make it right on time.
Dear Lord, show me how I can respond when I feel like I don't have enough. Help me to offer my little in Your name and watch You respond in multiples. Open my eyes to the times I need to offer what I can and let that be enough, trusting You with the rest, in Jesus' Name, amen.
Application Steps:
Jesus is asking you: What do you have? Go and see. Spend time today seeing what you have.
Reflections:
What are the things that keep you from saying yes? Fear? Inadequacy? Insecurity? How can doing something little help you overcome these things?
Power Verses:
2 Kings 4:43, "'How can I set this before a hundred men?' his servant asked. But Elisha answered, ‘Give it to the people to eat. For this is what the Lord says: ‘They will eat and have some left over.'" (NIV)
2 Kings 4:44, "Then he set it before them, and they ate and had some left over, according to the word of the Lord." (NIV)
YOU TUBE SONG FOR TODAY
The Way I Was Made
Chris Tomlin
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VF5SZWox_JE
…and…
Back to the Bible
Woodrow Kroll and Tami Weissert
The Inerrancy and Infallibility
of the Bible
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
PLAY NOW
We're so used to things being imperfect and full of mistakes,
it's hard to believe that something could be totally without error.
But that's exactly what the Bible is...
Series: Is the Bible Really Your Authority?
http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/Back_to_the_Bible/
Please send your prayer requests to
dysmasconduit.@gmail.com
Monday, May 10, 2010
5/10 Manna
DYSMAS CONDUIT
FREE FOOD
(Isa 55:1)
DAY, MAY, 2010
Question for the day:
What can we pray with YOU about today?
Good morning,
This is just a reminder that every day, while we are studying God’s Word to add to our website, someone from our ministry, Dysmas Conduit, is holding you up before the Lord in prayer. May He greatly bless you today as you pursue His will and He is glorified through you.
God’s blessings, our love,
George & Sidney Granger
CURRENT PRAYER REQUESTS:
Please pray for Mike and Sandy Brommer as they spread the Lord’s Seed and witness to His glory while on the road today. Please pray also that the Lord will lead them to Kingdom-profitable loads to carry, and that He grants them safe passage today.
Mike Brommer is asking for the Lord’s guidance regarding their finances.
Tammy and I are requesting prayers for Ryan Claypool, a 10 year old that is having a heart cath at Childrens Hospital in the morning. May 10th.
He has already had open heart surgery 3 times and is looking at the possibility of three more. He almost did not make it through the last. We are asking for prayers for Ryan, his mom , dad, step dad, and rest of the family. Thank you and God Bless you --Todd and Tammy Moore
Christine Babel Henderson - Today when I called my Mother to find out what the Dr. told her about her test. She told me they needed to take more tests. She was told everything so far is pointing towards "colon cancer". Please take a moment from your busy day and remember my Mother in prayer. I lost my Father to liver cancer in 1991, I am NOT ready to let her go!!
Lauren Gibbons
First update on Bud. His surgery went very well. He expected to be in the hospital for 2 weeks afterward but his recovery is going so well that they were talking about releasing him yesterday. The procedure he had done was very invasive and is relatively new. It should keep him cancer free for many years. That's the most recent update I have on him.
Little granddaughter Baylee's surgery went very well. They finished fixing her top palette; this was her second surgery on it. She only had to be in the hospital one full day because she was eating and drinking so quickly afterward. She's a trooper and has never let these surgeries keep her down long. This is about the 4th surgery she's had to have but hopefully this one was the last.
Please continue to pray for continued healing for both. And for Baylee that her trache can be removed soon so she can speak. Right now, she pretty much uses one word "signs" to speak.
ENCOURAGEMENT FOR TODAY
May 10, 2010
Reshaping My Family Tree
T. Suzanne Eller
"Remain in me, and I will remain in you.
No branch can bear fruit by itself;
it must remain in the vine.
Neither can you bear fruit
unless you remain in me."
John 15:4 (NIV)
Devotion:
The manager at Atwoods just might think I'm a stalker. I'm the one in the Red Durango driving slowly by the garden section every time I'm in town. I've already selected two hardy trees on the Atwood lot, and I can tell you exactly where I'm going to plant them when it's time.
Spring. Just breathing that word makes me happy. Flowers. Birds singing. Digging happily in the dirt. Yesterday I knelt to admire the dark shoots on my Knock Out rose bushes, and the green buds on my perennials.
But there is a tree that used to cause me pain. The branches of my family tree bent under the weight of addiction, of physical and verbal abuse, of parenting patterns that didn't work but that were handed down from generation to generation like bad apples.
When I became a mom, I determined that my family tree had to grow in another direction. I had nothing to cling to in the natural. My parenting knowledge was based on a broken childhood filled with chaos.
That's when faith was grafted in.
I prayed as I walked my colicky baby girl. I asked for strength when I was mentally exhausted from piles of laundry, from nursing, and from encouraging and disciplining three little ones. I closed myself in my bedroom, getting alone with God when I had a fight with my teen, admitting that, "Sometimes I don't have a clue, God." Faith didn't make me a perfect parent, but it did give me hope that I could be the mom I wanted to be.
Motherhood was often challenging, but it was also an immense blessing.
Today I'm still a mom, though my role has changed. I have two sons-in-law and a daughter-in-law I love like crazy. And now little Elle is on the way. My first grandchild will be born in July, and Gramma can't wait to hold her in my arms.
Even as I write this, I fight tears because I can clearly see how Jesus answered a young mom's prayers.
Maybe, like mine, your family tree is crooked and gnarled with disease. You don't have to do it alone. Grafting in faith is simply inviting Jesus into the process. Faith plants seeds of hope. It prunes away parenting patterns and legacies that caused injury and harm to you, so that you can give your children something greater.
And greatest of all, new branches sprout, taking you and your family in a new direction entirely.
Dear Jesus, I invite You into my family tree. Where there is brokenness, may You be the Healer. Where there is disease, may You prune so that new life can begin. Come alongside me as a mom. Let me see the beauty of these children You have placed in my heart and in my life. Thank you for walking with me every day.
Application Steps:
Growing tips for your child:
Water: Encourage with sincere praise.
Shape: Love the child always while addressing the behavior with calm, consistency, and reasonable consequences.
Prune: Be honest about unhealthy parenting patterns that affected you as a child that continue on in your home. Replace unhealthy patterns with those that produce stability.
Harvest: Look beyond the now (feelings) to the end result. Your child is a work in progress. Consistency will produce fruit.
Reflections:
"If our kids see us humbly committing each new day to Jesus, they'll learn that He truly loves and cares about every detail of our lives. That's humility." Susie Larson, author of Growing Grateful Kids.
Power Verses:
2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" (NIV)
Matthew 7:7-8, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened." (NIV)
YOU TUBE SONG FOR TODAY
For Those Tears I Died
Donnie Sumner
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kLa9XjsHvo
…and…
Back to the Bible
Woodrow Kroll and Tami Weissert
The Inspired Revelation of God
Monday, May 10, 2010
PLAY NOW
The Bible claims to be "breathed out" by God.
Find out what that means
and how it affects your approach to this Book...
Series: Is the Bible Really Your Authority?
http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/Back_to_the_Bible/
Please send your prayer requests to
dysmasconduit.@gmail.com
FREE FOOD
(Isa 55:1)
DAY, MAY, 2010
Question for the day:
What can we pray with YOU about today?
Good morning,
This is just a reminder that every day, while we are studying God’s Word to add to our website, someone from our ministry, Dysmas Conduit, is holding you up before the Lord in prayer. May He greatly bless you today as you pursue His will and He is glorified through you.
God’s blessings, our love,
George & Sidney Granger
CURRENT PRAYER REQUESTS:
Please pray for Mike and Sandy Brommer as they spread the Lord’s Seed and witness to His glory while on the road today. Please pray also that the Lord will lead them to Kingdom-profitable loads to carry, and that He grants them safe passage today.
Mike Brommer is asking for the Lord’s guidance regarding their finances.
Tammy and I are requesting prayers for Ryan Claypool, a 10 year old that is having a heart cath at Childrens Hospital in the morning. May 10th.
He has already had open heart surgery 3 times and is looking at the possibility of three more. He almost did not make it through the last. We are asking for prayers for Ryan, his mom , dad, step dad, and rest of the family. Thank you and God Bless you --Todd and Tammy Moore
Christine Babel Henderson - Today when I called my Mother to find out what the Dr. told her about her test. She told me they needed to take more tests. She was told everything so far is pointing towards "colon cancer". Please take a moment from your busy day and remember my Mother in prayer. I lost my Father to liver cancer in 1991, I am NOT ready to let her go!!
Lauren Gibbons
First update on Bud. His surgery went very well. He expected to be in the hospital for 2 weeks afterward but his recovery is going so well that they were talking about releasing him yesterday. The procedure he had done was very invasive and is relatively new. It should keep him cancer free for many years. That's the most recent update I have on him.
Little granddaughter Baylee's surgery went very well. They finished fixing her top palette; this was her second surgery on it. She only had to be in the hospital one full day because she was eating and drinking so quickly afterward. She's a trooper and has never let these surgeries keep her down long. This is about the 4th surgery she's had to have but hopefully this one was the last.
Please continue to pray for continued healing for both. And for Baylee that her trache can be removed soon so she can speak. Right now, she pretty much uses one word "signs" to speak.
ENCOURAGEMENT FOR TODAY
May 10, 2010
Reshaping My Family Tree
T. Suzanne Eller
"Remain in me, and I will remain in you.
No branch can bear fruit by itself;
it must remain in the vine.
Neither can you bear fruit
unless you remain in me."
John 15:4 (NIV)
Devotion:
The manager at Atwoods just might think I'm a stalker. I'm the one in the Red Durango driving slowly by the garden section every time I'm in town. I've already selected two hardy trees on the Atwood lot, and I can tell you exactly where I'm going to plant them when it's time.
Spring. Just breathing that word makes me happy. Flowers. Birds singing. Digging happily in the dirt. Yesterday I knelt to admire the dark shoots on my Knock Out rose bushes, and the green buds on my perennials.
But there is a tree that used to cause me pain. The branches of my family tree bent under the weight of addiction, of physical and verbal abuse, of parenting patterns that didn't work but that were handed down from generation to generation like bad apples.
When I became a mom, I determined that my family tree had to grow in another direction. I had nothing to cling to in the natural. My parenting knowledge was based on a broken childhood filled with chaos.
That's when faith was grafted in.
I prayed as I walked my colicky baby girl. I asked for strength when I was mentally exhausted from piles of laundry, from nursing, and from encouraging and disciplining three little ones. I closed myself in my bedroom, getting alone with God when I had a fight with my teen, admitting that, "Sometimes I don't have a clue, God." Faith didn't make me a perfect parent, but it did give me hope that I could be the mom I wanted to be.
Motherhood was often challenging, but it was also an immense blessing.
Today I'm still a mom, though my role has changed. I have two sons-in-law and a daughter-in-law I love like crazy. And now little Elle is on the way. My first grandchild will be born in July, and Gramma can't wait to hold her in my arms.
Even as I write this, I fight tears because I can clearly see how Jesus answered a young mom's prayers.
Maybe, like mine, your family tree is crooked and gnarled with disease. You don't have to do it alone. Grafting in faith is simply inviting Jesus into the process. Faith plants seeds of hope. It prunes away parenting patterns and legacies that caused injury and harm to you, so that you can give your children something greater.
And greatest of all, new branches sprout, taking you and your family in a new direction entirely.
Dear Jesus, I invite You into my family tree. Where there is brokenness, may You be the Healer. Where there is disease, may You prune so that new life can begin. Come alongside me as a mom. Let me see the beauty of these children You have placed in my heart and in my life. Thank you for walking with me every day.
Application Steps:
Growing tips for your child:
Water: Encourage with sincere praise.
Shape: Love the child always while addressing the behavior with calm, consistency, and reasonable consequences.
Prune: Be honest about unhealthy parenting patterns that affected you as a child that continue on in your home. Replace unhealthy patterns with those that produce stability.
Harvest: Look beyond the now (feelings) to the end result. Your child is a work in progress. Consistency will produce fruit.
Reflections:
"If our kids see us humbly committing each new day to Jesus, they'll learn that He truly loves and cares about every detail of our lives. That's humility." Susie Larson, author of Growing Grateful Kids.
Power Verses:
2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" (NIV)
Matthew 7:7-8, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened." (NIV)
YOU TUBE SONG FOR TODAY
For Those Tears I Died
Donnie Sumner
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kLa9XjsHvo
…and…
Back to the Bible
Woodrow Kroll and Tami Weissert
The Inspired Revelation of God
Monday, May 10, 2010
PLAY NOW
The Bible claims to be "breathed out" by God.
Find out what that means
and how it affects your approach to this Book...
Series: Is the Bible Really Your Authority?
http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/Back_to_the_Bible/
Please send your prayer requests to
dysmasconduit.@gmail.com
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Happy Mother's Day, all
DYSMAS CONDUIT
FREE FOOD
(Isa 55:1)
SUNDAY, MAY 9, 2010
Question for the day:
What can we pray with YOU about today?
Good morning,
This is just a reminder that every day, while we are studying God’s Word to add to our website, someone from our ministry, Dysmas Conduit, is holding you up before the Lord in prayer. May He greatly bless you today as you pursue His will and He is glorified through you.
God’s blessings, our love,
George & Sidney Granger
CURRENT PRAYER REQUESTS:
Please pray for Mike and Sandy Brommer as they spread the Lord’s Seed and witness to His glory while on the road today. Please pray also that the Lord will lead them to Kingdom-profitable loads to carry, and that He grants them safe passage today.
Mike Brommer is asking for the Lord’s guidance regarding their finances.
Christine Babel Henderson - Today when I called my Mother to find out what the Dr. told her about her test. She told me they needed to take more tests. She was told everything so far is pointing towards "colon cancer". Please take a moment from your busy day and remember my Mother in prayer. I lost my Father to liver cancer in 1991, I am NOT ready to let her go!!
Lauren Gibbons April 27 at 11:53am
Good morning,
My oldest grandson's grandpa, Bud, is going in for an invasive surgery next Monday. He was diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma (cancer in the lining surrounding the organs in the abdomen) last summer. He's undergone all the standard chemo. and radiation but this surgery is supposed to either kill you or pretty much clear it up. They inject chemo. directly into the lining.
His wife is disabled and totally depends on him. If anything happens to him she would be completely lost and probably grieve herself to death.
I have tried to talk to him about the Lord in an e-mail. His Dad was a preacher and maybe that says it all. Sometimes those kids don't feel the love and acceptance they should, so I've heard. Basically, I got no comment from him accept that he appreciates my prayers. So, I would ask for strength for me and those who love him and spiritual/physical healing for Bud.
The bad/good? part is that my only granddaughter is having what we hope is her final surgery 3 days later, next Thursday...I say good because my son and his wife are more focused on that...at least right now anyway. She is having surgery on her top palette in her mouth and adenoids removed. She has a trache (long story) in her neck to breathe but once this final surgery is performed, the idea is to be able to take that out and she should have all prior surgeries and hopefully most medical issues behind her.
I'd like to get as many people praying for Bud and Baylee Ann as possible and for God to pave the way for successful surgeries for both.
Thanks so much. God bless you, Lauren
Winning the Battle for the Home
Love Worth Finding with Dr. Adrian Rogers
PLAY NOW
The artillery of hell has been aimed against your family,
because Satan knows if he can hurt us at home,
he can hurt us all over.
In this fast-paced, hard-hitting lesson,
Adrian Rogers give five factors for building
a strong moral life and keeping sexual immorality
from tearing your home apar
YOU TUBE SONG FOR TODAY
Before the Morning
Josh Wilson
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MniOtRnCO9I
…and…
Listen to Thru the Bible
Sunday Sermon
Dr. J. Vernon McGee
The Apostasy Has Arrived
Sunday, May 09, 2010
PLAY NOW
Peter, Jude, and others all predicted the coming apostasy.
Dr. McGee said that what was a cloud the size of a man’s hand
in the days of those men is in our day a raging storm.
http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/Thru_the_Bible_Sunday_Sermon/
…and…
Please join Sidney and me at Messiah Live
Get a (Better) Life!
9:30 EST
http://messiahondemand.org/
Please send your prayer requests to
dysmasconduit.@gmail.com
FREE FOOD
(Isa 55:1)
SUNDAY, MAY 9, 2010
Question for the day:
What can we pray with YOU about today?
Good morning,
This is just a reminder that every day, while we are studying God’s Word to add to our website, someone from our ministry, Dysmas Conduit, is holding you up before the Lord in prayer. May He greatly bless you today as you pursue His will and He is glorified through you.
God’s blessings, our love,
George & Sidney Granger
CURRENT PRAYER REQUESTS:
Please pray for Mike and Sandy Brommer as they spread the Lord’s Seed and witness to His glory while on the road today. Please pray also that the Lord will lead them to Kingdom-profitable loads to carry, and that He grants them safe passage today.
Mike Brommer is asking for the Lord’s guidance regarding their finances.
Christine Babel Henderson - Today when I called my Mother to find out what the Dr. told her about her test. She told me they needed to take more tests. She was told everything so far is pointing towards "colon cancer". Please take a moment from your busy day and remember my Mother in prayer. I lost my Father to liver cancer in 1991, I am NOT ready to let her go!!
Lauren Gibbons April 27 at 11:53am
Good morning,
My oldest grandson's grandpa, Bud, is going in for an invasive surgery next Monday. He was diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma (cancer in the lining surrounding the organs in the abdomen) last summer. He's undergone all the standard chemo. and radiation but this surgery is supposed to either kill you or pretty much clear it up. They inject chemo. directly into the lining.
His wife is disabled and totally depends on him. If anything happens to him she would be completely lost and probably grieve herself to death.
I have tried to talk to him about the Lord in an e-mail. His Dad was a preacher and maybe that says it all. Sometimes those kids don't feel the love and acceptance they should, so I've heard. Basically, I got no comment from him accept that he appreciates my prayers. So, I would ask for strength for me and those who love him and spiritual/physical healing for Bud.
The bad/good? part is that my only granddaughter is having what we hope is her final surgery 3 days later, next Thursday...I say good because my son and his wife are more focused on that...at least right now anyway. She is having surgery on her top palette in her mouth and adenoids removed. She has a trache (long story) in her neck to breathe but once this final surgery is performed, the idea is to be able to take that out and she should have all prior surgeries and hopefully most medical issues behind her.
I'd like to get as many people praying for Bud and Baylee Ann as possible and for God to pave the way for successful surgeries for both.
Thanks so much. God bless you, Lauren
Winning the Battle for the Home
Love Worth Finding with Dr. Adrian Rogers
PLAY NOW
The artillery of hell has been aimed against your family,
because Satan knows if he can hurt us at home,
he can hurt us all over.
In this fast-paced, hard-hitting lesson,
Adrian Rogers give five factors for building
a strong moral life and keeping sexual immorality
from tearing your home apar
YOU TUBE SONG FOR TODAY
Before the Morning
Josh Wilson
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MniOtRnCO9I
…and…
Listen to Thru the Bible
Sunday Sermon
Dr. J. Vernon McGee
The Apostasy Has Arrived
Sunday, May 09, 2010
PLAY NOW
Peter, Jude, and others all predicted the coming apostasy.
Dr. McGee said that what was a cloud the size of a man’s hand
in the days of those men is in our day a raging storm.
http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/Thru_the_Bible_Sunday_Sermon/
…and…
Please join Sidney and me at Messiah Live
Get a (Better) Life!
9:30 EST
http://messiahondemand.org/
Please send your prayer requests to
dysmasconduit.@gmail.com
Saturday, May 8, 2010
5/8 Manna
DYSMAS CONDUIT
FREE FOOD
(Isa 55:1)
SATURDAY, MAY 8, 2010
Question for the day:
What are your plans for Mother’s Day?
What can we pray with YOU about today?
Good morning,
This is just a reminder that every day, while we are studying God’s Word to add to our website, someone from our ministry, Dysmas Conduit, is holding you up before the Lord in prayer. May He greatly bless you today as you pursue His will and He is glorified through you.
God’s blessings, our love,
George & Sidney Granger
CURRENT PRAYER REQUESTS:
Please pray for Mike and Sandy Brommer as they spread the Lord’s Seed and witness to His glory while on the road today. Please pray also that the Lord will lead them to Kingdom-profitable loads to carry, and that He grants them safe passage today.
Mike Brommer is asking for the Lord’s guidance regarding their finances.
Christine Babel Henderson - Today when I called my Mother to find out what the Dr. told her about her test. She told me they needed to take more tests. She was told everything so far is pointing towards "colon cancer". Please take a moment from your busy day and remember my Mother in prayer. I lost my Father to liver cancer in 1991, I am NOT ready to let her go!!
Lauren Gibbons April 27 at 11:53am
Good morning,
My oldest grandson's grandpa, Bud, is going in for an invasive surgery next Monday. He was diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma (cancer in the lining surrounding the organs in the abdomen) last summer. He's undergone all the standard chemo. and radiation but this surgery is supposed to either kill you or pretty much clear it up. They inject chemo. directly into the lining.
His wife is disabled and totally depends on him. If anything happens to him she would be completely lost and probably grieve herself to death.
I have tried to talk to him about the Lord in an e-mail. His Dad was a preacher and maybe that says it all. Sometimes those kids don't feel the love and acceptance they should, so I've heard. Basically, I got no comment from him accept that he appreciates my prayers. So, I would ask for strength for me and those who love him and spiritual/physical healing for Bud.
The bad/good? part is that my only granddaughter is having what we hope is her final surgery 3 days later, next Thursday...I say good because my son and his wife are more focused on that...at least right now anyway. She is having surgery on her top palette in her mouth and adenoids removed. She has a trache (long story) in her neck to breathe but once this final surgery is performed, the idea is to be able to take that out and she should have all prior surgeries and hopefully most medical issues behind her.
I'd like to get as many people praying for Bud and Baylee Ann as possible and for God to pave the way for successful surgeries for both.
Thanks so much. God bless you, Lauren
"What Are Your Plans
for Mother's Day?"
Love Worth Finding - May 8, 2010
"Honor thy father and thy mother:
that thy days be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee."
Exodus 20:12
The Bible says to "honor your father and your mother," so when we observe Mother's Day or Father's Day, we are obeying the Scripture. You can honor your father and mother three ways: Obey them when you're young, care for them when they are old, and honor them at all times. How do you give them honor?
Show them respect.
Express gratefulness. Give them thanks. Learn to develop the attitude of gratitude. Have you thanked your parents for all that they've done?
Listen to their counsel.
Show your parents love. Think of what you owe your parents. They gave you life. I'm convinced that the closest thing to God's love is the love of a mother.
Why don't you sit down and write a letter to your mother or father and tell them how grateful you are for them? I'll tell you one thing, they will read it over and over again. And when they die and you're going through their things, you'll find that letter tucked away in their most treasured possessions. Do it, rather than saying I wish that I had. And if your parents are not living, give them honor and thank God for their memory.
________________________________________
Watch Adrian Rogers and Love Worth Finding Video Online
YOU TUBE SONG FOR TODAY
Rescue Me
Selah
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwDiZwjnDgI
…and…
Now Playing:
God's High Calling for Women
Grace to You Weekend with John MacArthur
Saturday, May 08, 2010
PLAY NOW
If you caused an accident and someone was hurt,
you'd want to do whatever you could to make things right.
Now imagine being responsible for . . .
plunging mankind into sin.
It's a painful scenario, but important to understand
in light of God's design for women.
John MacArthur explains, today on Grace to You Weekend.
Series: God's High Calling for Women
http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/grace-to-you-weekend/listen/
Please send your prayer requests to
dysmasconduit.@gmail.com
FREE FOOD
(Isa 55:1)
SATURDAY, MAY 8, 2010
Question for the day:
What are your plans for Mother’s Day?
What can we pray with YOU about today?
Good morning,
This is just a reminder that every day, while we are studying God’s Word to add to our website, someone from our ministry, Dysmas Conduit, is holding you up before the Lord in prayer. May He greatly bless you today as you pursue His will and He is glorified through you.
God’s blessings, our love,
George & Sidney Granger
CURRENT PRAYER REQUESTS:
Please pray for Mike and Sandy Brommer as they spread the Lord’s Seed and witness to His glory while on the road today. Please pray also that the Lord will lead them to Kingdom-profitable loads to carry, and that He grants them safe passage today.
Mike Brommer is asking for the Lord’s guidance regarding their finances.
Christine Babel Henderson - Today when I called my Mother to find out what the Dr. told her about her test. She told me they needed to take more tests. She was told everything so far is pointing towards "colon cancer". Please take a moment from your busy day and remember my Mother in prayer. I lost my Father to liver cancer in 1991, I am NOT ready to let her go!!
Lauren Gibbons April 27 at 11:53am
Good morning,
My oldest grandson's grandpa, Bud, is going in for an invasive surgery next Monday. He was diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma (cancer in the lining surrounding the organs in the abdomen) last summer. He's undergone all the standard chemo. and radiation but this surgery is supposed to either kill you or pretty much clear it up. They inject chemo. directly into the lining.
His wife is disabled and totally depends on him. If anything happens to him she would be completely lost and probably grieve herself to death.
I have tried to talk to him about the Lord in an e-mail. His Dad was a preacher and maybe that says it all. Sometimes those kids don't feel the love and acceptance they should, so I've heard. Basically, I got no comment from him accept that he appreciates my prayers. So, I would ask for strength for me and those who love him and spiritual/physical healing for Bud.
The bad/good? part is that my only granddaughter is having what we hope is her final surgery 3 days later, next Thursday...I say good because my son and his wife are more focused on that...at least right now anyway. She is having surgery on her top palette in her mouth and adenoids removed. She has a trache (long story) in her neck to breathe but once this final surgery is performed, the idea is to be able to take that out and she should have all prior surgeries and hopefully most medical issues behind her.
I'd like to get as many people praying for Bud and Baylee Ann as possible and for God to pave the way for successful surgeries for both.
Thanks so much. God bless you, Lauren
"What Are Your Plans
for Mother's Day?"
Love Worth Finding - May 8, 2010
"Honor thy father and thy mother:
that thy days be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee."
Exodus 20:12
The Bible says to "honor your father and your mother," so when we observe Mother's Day or Father's Day, we are obeying the Scripture. You can honor your father and mother three ways: Obey them when you're young, care for them when they are old, and honor them at all times. How do you give them honor?
Show them respect.
Express gratefulness. Give them thanks. Learn to develop the attitude of gratitude. Have you thanked your parents for all that they've done?
Listen to their counsel.
Show your parents love. Think of what you owe your parents. They gave you life. I'm convinced that the closest thing to God's love is the love of a mother.
Why don't you sit down and write a letter to your mother or father and tell them how grateful you are for them? I'll tell you one thing, they will read it over and over again. And when they die and you're going through their things, you'll find that letter tucked away in their most treasured possessions. Do it, rather than saying I wish that I had. And if your parents are not living, give them honor and thank God for their memory.
________________________________________
Watch Adrian Rogers and Love Worth Finding Video Online
YOU TUBE SONG FOR TODAY
Rescue Me
Selah
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwDiZwjnDgI
…and…
Now Playing:
God's High Calling for Women
Grace to You Weekend with John MacArthur
Saturday, May 08, 2010
PLAY NOW
If you caused an accident and someone was hurt,
you'd want to do whatever you could to make things right.
Now imagine being responsible for . . .
plunging mankind into sin.
It's a painful scenario, but important to understand
in light of God's design for women.
John MacArthur explains, today on Grace to You Weekend.
Series: God's High Calling for Women
http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/grace-to-you-weekend/listen/
Please send your prayer requests to
dysmasconduit.@gmail.com
Friday, May 7, 2010
5/7 Manna
DYSMAS CONDUIT
FREE FOOD
(Isa 55:1)
FRIDAY, MAY 7, 2010
Question for the day:
What can we pray with YOU about today?
Good morning,
This is just a reminder that every day, while we are studying God’s Word to add to our website, someone from our ministry, Dysmas Conduit, is holding you up before the Lord in prayer. May He greatly bless you today as you pursue His will and He is glorified through you.
God’s blessings, our love,
George & Sidney Granger
CURRENT PRAYER REQUESTS:
Please pray for Mike and Sandy Brommer as they spread the Lord’s Seed and witness to His glory while on the road today. Please pray also that the Lord will lead them to Kingdom-profitable loads to carry, and that He grants them safe passage today.
Mike Brommer is asking for the Lord’s guidance regarding their finances.
Christine Babel Henderson - Today when I called my Mother to find out what the Dr. told her about her test. She told me they needed to take more tests. She was told everything so far is pointing towards "colon cancer". Please take a moment from your busy day and remember my Mother in prayer. I lost my Father to liver cancer in 1991, I am NOT ready to let her go!!
Please pray for Ed especially this Fri at 1PM. He has his reg 3 month apt. breathing test and the 6 minute hall walk. He has to walk at least 450 feet in 6 minutes OR he gets taken off the transplant list!!! He will need God's strength to be able to do that far in that short of time. Not sure what happens next if he gets de-listed...I have a notebook with questions written down. Just please lift Ed up in prayer if possible at that time. Thanks! Hugs and love, --Cathy
Lauren Gibbons April 27 at 11:53am
Good morning,
My oldest grandson's grandpa, Bud, is going in for an invasive surgery next Monday. He was diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma (cancer in the lining surrounding the organs in the abdomen) last summer. He's undergone all the standard chemo. and radiation but this surgery is supposed to either kill you or pretty much clear it up. They inject chemo. directly into the lining.
His wife is disabled and totally depends on him. If anything happens to him she would be completely lost and probably grieve herself to death.
I have tried to talk to him about the Lord in an e-mail. His Dad was a preacher and maybe that says it all. Sometimes those kids don't feel the love and acceptance they should, so I've heard. Basically, I got no comment from him accept that he appreciates my prayers. So, I would ask for strength for me and those who love him and spiritual/physical healing for Bud.
The bad/good? part is that my only granddaughter is having what we hope is her final surgery 3 days later, next Thursday...I say good because my son and his wife are more focused on that...at least right now anyway. She is having surgery on her top palette in her mouth and adenoids removed. She has a trache (long story) in her neck to breathe but once this final surgery is performed, the idea is to be able to take that out and she should have all prior surgeries and hopefully most medical issues behind her.
I'd like to get as many people praying for Bud and Baylee Ann as possible and for God to pave the way for successful surgeries for both.
Thanks so much. God bless you, Lauren
ENCOURAGEMENT FOR TODAY
May 7, 2010
The Dailyness
Ariel Allison Lawhon
"Blessed is the man who listens to me,
watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway."
Proverbs 8:34 (NIV)
Devotion:
Life wouldn't be so hard if it wasn't so daily. As I sit here surrounded by laundry and dishes piled high in the sink, I see more than ever how life wears us down one day at a time.
Crumbs litter the floor and dirty smudges cover the windows. And I have yet to discover where that smell is coming from. For this mother of four, a simple trip to the grocery store requires an act of God and Congress - attempted only when we are down to powdered milk and Ramen noodles. Not thirty minutes ago a little one-year-old boy clung to my legs, belting out that scream- you know the one, bats can hear it. And I felt my coping skills slipping away. Not because he was crying but because he cries every day.
The daily-ness.
The job of motherhood feels so vast, and frightening, and unending. I am called to raise these children in the fear and admonition of the Lord and yet there are days that I can't seem to get out of my pajamas much less lead them in a time of prayer. I think anyone could endure the temper tantrums of a small child or the rebellion of a teenager or the constant needs of another if they lasted just one day. But the truth is that these things are the stuff of daily life. And when I am honest with myself, they grind down the rough edges of this woman. Because parenting can not be all about me when diapers must be changed, noses wiped and beds made.
In those moments I force myself to take a deep breath and thank God for this season of life. These children. The privilege of wiping noses and bottoms and countertops. A privilege many women would love to have, but don't. I remind myself that the days are long but the years are short. And one day I will look in the rear-view mirror and see empty seats. The cup that is overflowing right now will slowly drain. The stretch marks will fade. And I will find that a new set of daily struggles has overtaken me. When that day comes I will find the strength to face them as well because God gives the grace, daily.
The daily-ness.
As C.S. Lewis once said, "The thing is to rely on God… Meanwhile, the trouble is that relying on God has to begin all over again every day as if nothing has yet been done."
Your daily-ness is probably different than mine, but it is nonetheless God-ordained. It is exactly what we need to live dependent on His grace instead of our own strength. The One who knows us best, who knit us together in our mother's womb, has allotted these days that are equal parts trial and triumph. And He knows that we will see Him most clearly from a place of dependence.
So today I embrace the normal things. The daily things. Another round of laundry. The ring in my toilet. The dust on my dresser so thick a child could write his name. But even more than that I want to celebrate the important things. A child slowly learning to read. A husband that finds his comfort in my arms. A baby who learns to walk and talk. Because all these are the things of life: some mundane and some holy. And all of them must be received daily.
Dear Lord, sometimes daily life is just hard. And we're tired. And overwhelmed. But You promised to be our strength and our hope and our comfort. So today we look to You for what we need. Please meet us in this, our daily-ness, and help us receive Your grace, in Jesus' Name, amen.
Application Steps:
Pray that God will help you embrace your daily-ness, whether it be young children, a physical ailment, or financial difficulties.
Make an effort to honor God with an attitude of trust during this season of life.
Reflections:
How can trusting God with my daily struggles point others to Him?
How would my life be different if I started each day thanking God for this season and the struggles it contains?
Power Verses:
Matthew 6:11, "Give us today our daily bread." (NIV)
Luke 9:23, "Then He said to them all: ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.'" (NIV)
Titus 3:14, "Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order that they may provide for daily necessitates and not live unproductive lives." (NIV)
YOU TUBE SONG FOR TODAY
Undo
Rush Of Fools
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iN_DMuahD5o
…and…
Back to the Bible
Woodrow Kroll and Tami Weissert
The Tax Collector: Praying for Mercy
Friday, May 07, 2010
PLAY NOW
The last prayer in this series comes from a parable Jesus told about two men,
a proud Pharisee and an ashamed tax-collector.
We’ll contrast their two prayers,
what they reveal about our heart attitudes
towards each other and towards God.
We'll see God honors the humble,
repentant heart with His presence
and His promises, and consider what it means
to pray like this in our lives today.
This message references: Luke 18:9-14
http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/Back_to_the_Bible/
Please send your prayer requests to
dysmasconduit.@gmail.com
FREE FOOD
(Isa 55:1)
FRIDAY, MAY 7, 2010
Question for the day:
What can we pray with YOU about today?
Good morning,
This is just a reminder that every day, while we are studying God’s Word to add to our website, someone from our ministry, Dysmas Conduit, is holding you up before the Lord in prayer. May He greatly bless you today as you pursue His will and He is glorified through you.
God’s blessings, our love,
George & Sidney Granger
CURRENT PRAYER REQUESTS:
Please pray for Mike and Sandy Brommer as they spread the Lord’s Seed and witness to His glory while on the road today. Please pray also that the Lord will lead them to Kingdom-profitable loads to carry, and that He grants them safe passage today.
Mike Brommer is asking for the Lord’s guidance regarding their finances.
Christine Babel Henderson - Today when I called my Mother to find out what the Dr. told her about her test. She told me they needed to take more tests. She was told everything so far is pointing towards "colon cancer". Please take a moment from your busy day and remember my Mother in prayer. I lost my Father to liver cancer in 1991, I am NOT ready to let her go!!
Please pray for Ed especially this Fri at 1PM. He has his reg 3 month apt. breathing test and the 6 minute hall walk. He has to walk at least 450 feet in 6 minutes OR he gets taken off the transplant list!!! He will need God's strength to be able to do that far in that short of time. Not sure what happens next if he gets de-listed...I have a notebook with questions written down. Just please lift Ed up in prayer if possible at that time. Thanks! Hugs and love, --Cathy
Lauren Gibbons April 27 at 11:53am
Good morning,
My oldest grandson's grandpa, Bud, is going in for an invasive surgery next Monday. He was diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma (cancer in the lining surrounding the organs in the abdomen) last summer. He's undergone all the standard chemo. and radiation but this surgery is supposed to either kill you or pretty much clear it up. They inject chemo. directly into the lining.
His wife is disabled and totally depends on him. If anything happens to him she would be completely lost and probably grieve herself to death.
I have tried to talk to him about the Lord in an e-mail. His Dad was a preacher and maybe that says it all. Sometimes those kids don't feel the love and acceptance they should, so I've heard. Basically, I got no comment from him accept that he appreciates my prayers. So, I would ask for strength for me and those who love him and spiritual/physical healing for Bud.
The bad/good? part is that my only granddaughter is having what we hope is her final surgery 3 days later, next Thursday...I say good because my son and his wife are more focused on that...at least right now anyway. She is having surgery on her top palette in her mouth and adenoids removed. She has a trache (long story) in her neck to breathe but once this final surgery is performed, the idea is to be able to take that out and she should have all prior surgeries and hopefully most medical issues behind her.
I'd like to get as many people praying for Bud and Baylee Ann as possible and for God to pave the way for successful surgeries for both.
Thanks so much. God bless you, Lauren
ENCOURAGEMENT FOR TODAY
May 7, 2010
The Dailyness
Ariel Allison Lawhon
"Blessed is the man who listens to me,
watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway."
Proverbs 8:34 (NIV)
Devotion:
Life wouldn't be so hard if it wasn't so daily. As I sit here surrounded by laundry and dishes piled high in the sink, I see more than ever how life wears us down one day at a time.
Crumbs litter the floor and dirty smudges cover the windows. And I have yet to discover where that smell is coming from. For this mother of four, a simple trip to the grocery store requires an act of God and Congress - attempted only when we are down to powdered milk and Ramen noodles. Not thirty minutes ago a little one-year-old boy clung to my legs, belting out that scream- you know the one, bats can hear it. And I felt my coping skills slipping away. Not because he was crying but because he cries every day.
The daily-ness.
The job of motherhood feels so vast, and frightening, and unending. I am called to raise these children in the fear and admonition of the Lord and yet there are days that I can't seem to get out of my pajamas much less lead them in a time of prayer. I think anyone could endure the temper tantrums of a small child or the rebellion of a teenager or the constant needs of another if they lasted just one day. But the truth is that these things are the stuff of daily life. And when I am honest with myself, they grind down the rough edges of this woman. Because parenting can not be all about me when diapers must be changed, noses wiped and beds made.
In those moments I force myself to take a deep breath and thank God for this season of life. These children. The privilege of wiping noses and bottoms and countertops. A privilege many women would love to have, but don't. I remind myself that the days are long but the years are short. And one day I will look in the rear-view mirror and see empty seats. The cup that is overflowing right now will slowly drain. The stretch marks will fade. And I will find that a new set of daily struggles has overtaken me. When that day comes I will find the strength to face them as well because God gives the grace, daily.
The daily-ness.
As C.S. Lewis once said, "The thing is to rely on God… Meanwhile, the trouble is that relying on God has to begin all over again every day as if nothing has yet been done."
Your daily-ness is probably different than mine, but it is nonetheless God-ordained. It is exactly what we need to live dependent on His grace instead of our own strength. The One who knows us best, who knit us together in our mother's womb, has allotted these days that are equal parts trial and triumph. And He knows that we will see Him most clearly from a place of dependence.
So today I embrace the normal things. The daily things. Another round of laundry. The ring in my toilet. The dust on my dresser so thick a child could write his name. But even more than that I want to celebrate the important things. A child slowly learning to read. A husband that finds his comfort in my arms. A baby who learns to walk and talk. Because all these are the things of life: some mundane and some holy. And all of them must be received daily.
Dear Lord, sometimes daily life is just hard. And we're tired. And overwhelmed. But You promised to be our strength and our hope and our comfort. So today we look to You for what we need. Please meet us in this, our daily-ness, and help us receive Your grace, in Jesus' Name, amen.
Application Steps:
Pray that God will help you embrace your daily-ness, whether it be young children, a physical ailment, or financial difficulties.
Make an effort to honor God with an attitude of trust during this season of life.
Reflections:
How can trusting God with my daily struggles point others to Him?
How would my life be different if I started each day thanking God for this season and the struggles it contains?
Power Verses:
Matthew 6:11, "Give us today our daily bread." (NIV)
Luke 9:23, "Then He said to them all: ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.'" (NIV)
Titus 3:14, "Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order that they may provide for daily necessitates and not live unproductive lives." (NIV)
YOU TUBE SONG FOR TODAY
Undo
Rush Of Fools
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iN_DMuahD5o
…and…
Back to the Bible
Woodrow Kroll and Tami Weissert
The Tax Collector: Praying for Mercy
Friday, May 07, 2010
PLAY NOW
The last prayer in this series comes from a parable Jesus told about two men,
a proud Pharisee and an ashamed tax-collector.
We’ll contrast their two prayers,
what they reveal about our heart attitudes
towards each other and towards God.
We'll see God honors the humble,
repentant heart with His presence
and His promises, and consider what it means
to pray like this in our lives today.
This message references: Luke 18:9-14
http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/Back_to_the_Bible/
Please send your prayer requests to
dysmasconduit.@gmail.com
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